Living on Memories
by Jaudreylover24
Summary: Audrey talks to a psychologist post season 6.  She tells about her memories with Jack  probably some pre-s4, s4, s5, and s6
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Audrey talks to a psychologist post season 6. She tells about her memories with Jack. Reviews are always a plus._

Chapter 1

Like usual, the room was silent. Two women sat in a room filled with a silence that the older woman always tried to break. The older woman, Dr. Harris, stared at her patient who was looking out the window the same way she did every day. Dr. Harris had no idea why her patient did this. Dr. Harris would try and get her patient to speak with simple questions just to gain some trust out of the younger woman. The doctor knew this wouldn't be easy. The patient had post traumatic stress disorder. Today the patient seemed less distant than usual.

"Audrey, I want to help you. But I know you're reluctant to talk to me. You've been coming to my office for almost a month, yet I've never heard you speak. So, my question today is why. Why do you keep coming here? You obviously have no desire to talk to me or anyone else for that matter." Dr. Harris paused to see if Audrey would respond. To her surprise, she did.

"My dad thinks you can help." Audrey said.

"Do you think I can help?"

"I don't need help. Despite what everybody thinks, I'm fine. I don't need help."

"Okay. Well, then how about we talk about something. Anything. That way I can say that we talked and I can tell your father that you're fine."

"Okay." Audrey agreed with some hesitance.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"Okay. How about we talk about the people in your life. Your friends and family."

"I don't have friends."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true. After-" Audrey paused. "After everything that's happened, I kind of lost touch with all my friends. They never understood why I'd give up my life for J-"

Audrey stopped. She couldn't bring herself to say his name. After saying his name for so long in China, she couldn't say it anymore. She couldn't believe Jack left her. After everything they'd been through. She felt like he had taken out almost her entire heart leaving her only enough of it to live. She was suffering. She needed him. He was the only person who knew and understood what she had been through. She loved him even after all these years.

"Jack?" Dr. Harris asked innocently. She could see tears starting to form in Audrey's eyes. She knew she had hit a nerve. "We should talk about him."

"No!" Audrey said desperately. "I can't. I don't even know why he left."

"Okay then let's not talk about now. Let's talk about before things became complicated."

"Uh, maybe tomorrow Dr. Harris. Our time's up."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. And, if you want you can call me Kelly."

Audrey left the office feeling broken. She liked thinking about her relationship with Jack was before anything with the Chinese happened. But, those were her memories. She wasn't sure if she could share them with a stranger. But, she was starting to trust Kelly despite her best efforts to distance herself from the doctor.

Audrey got back to her father's house where she had been staying. Her father always asked how the appointments went after Audrey got home. Today was no different. However, instead of getting the usual answer of "Fine." Audrey said, "Good." She smiled slightly at her father seeing his surprised expression.

_Sorry it's short. It just seemed like a good place to pause. Review please _:)


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Yes, i have no life so i've already updated this story. Review please and thanks!_

Chapter 2

Audrey woke up with an empty feeling inside. She was going to tell a stranger about her most cherished memories. She used these memories to keep herself from going insane, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel like they were making her insane too.

She knew she had to talk about it, him. She tried all night to convince herself that telling Kelly about her relationship with Jack would make her feel better. Audrey slowly got ready for her appointment at 11. When she walked downstairs she could smell bacon and pancakes.

"I made breakfast, Audrey. Do you want some?" Her father asked.

Audrey accepted the offer and ate breakfast with her father in total silence. He wanted to ask her what she and Dr. Harris talked about, but he figured she wouldn't want to talk to him about it. When Audrey finished, she got into a taxi and sat with her thoughts until she arrived at Dr. Harris's office.

"Good morning!" Kelly said with a smile.

"Morning." Audrey said hesitantly as she followed Kelly into her office.

"So, tell me about Jack." She said gently not wanting Audrey to change her mind.

"What about him?" Audrey asked.

"Well start from the beginning. How did you guys meet?"

_Audrey sat in her office waiting for the person she was asked to interview. He was applying for a job as advisor to the Secretary of Defense, her father. He walked in, and Audrey was surprised at how handsome he was._

_"You must be Jack Bauer. I'm Audrey Raines."_

_Jack shook her hand and they proceeded with the interview. It went smoothly and later she told her father that he should hire him. After he started working, Jack and Audrey became good friends. They'd work late nights together and would talk occasionally about their lives. Audrey knew she liked him more than she should have seeing as how she was still married. She knew she should be working on her marriage not be thinking constantly about some guy that she barely knew._

"Did Jack know you were married?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Not until about a month after we met." Audrey said.

_It was a Friday night and Jack and Audrey had been working late again. They were eating the pizza they had ordered as they worked. The attraction between them was growing. They found themselves glancing at each other more often. Even in meetings, their eyes would meet and they'd lose focus on what the Secretary had been talking about. But, that night was the first time they had touched since their first handshake. They'd been reaching for pizza at the same time. Their hands touched and they pulled away quickly. But, it was too late. They had both felt the electricity in their touch. Just before Audrey pulled her hand completely away, Jack noticed the diamond ring on her finger and the wedding ring next to it. He didn't say a single word to her the rest of the night until he said a simple "Bye." Monday night, Jack was acting completely professional._

_"Is everything okay, Jack?" She asked, as she put a hand on his arm knowing it would make him feel the connection between them._

_"You never told me you were married." Jack stated, acting as if it didn't bother him._

_"Well, you don't tell me anything about you. Why should I tell you that I'm married," Audrey paused and then continued, "and separated."_

_Jack looked at her not sure if he should try to respond to that. Audrey continued, "Not to mention I figured you'd know seeing as how people talk about it all the time here. Next thing I know you're going to say that you didn't know that my dad was the Secretary of Defense."_

_Jack looked at Audrey questioningly. She realized he apparently had no idea._

Audrey stopped. "Do you mind if we stop here today, Kelly, I'm just kind of tired."

"Of course. But, can I just ask you a few questions?" Kelly asked.

"Okay."

"Why did Jack care so much that you were married and that you were the Secretary's daughter?"

"Well, he and his wife had been separated but they were working things out before she died. I guess he thought he shouldn't get involved with me in case I decided to go back to my husband. And, as for my father, he was his boss. Jack respected him and didn't want my father to fire him. He liked having a job that was danger free for a change and not many places were willing to take him besides my father."

"I see. Well, good job today Audrey." Dr. Harris said.

Audrey was walking out the door but turned around, "Kelly, I dated Jack for six months. How come I feel like I've lost someone who I've known forever?"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Reviews are always welcomed._

Chapter 3

The sun was out when Audrey left Kelly's office. There was a cool breeze making it the perfect day out. Instead of taking a taxi, Audrey walked home. When she arrived, her father was pacing.

"What are you doing?" Audrey asked.

James hugged his daughter. "I was worried about you. You should have been home sooner."

"Well, it was really nice out. So, I walked home."

"Oh. So, what did you and Dr. Harris talk about?" James asked.

"Jack." Audrey regretted saying it. Her father's eyes showed his anger. He didn't respond. He simply said he was leaving and left. Audrey rolled her eyes at her father's response and went to her room.

Meanwhile, James made his way to Dr. Harris's office. "Hello, Mr. Heller." Kelly said.

"Why the hell are you talking to my daughter about Jack?" James demanded. "I want her to talk about China, not Jack."

"Well, unfortunately Audrey only will talk to me about Jack. And, I think that once she does, she'll talk to me about China."

"I don't want her to remember Jack. All he ever did was cause her pain."

"Mr. Heller, you have to understand that what happened in China isn't the only thing that's bothering her. She's not just going to forget Jack."

"Maybe not. But, I don't want you talking about him. I can always find Audrey a different psychiatrist." James left the office with that and went back home. Audrey was sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked as if she was having a flashback. He gently touched her should and she jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said.

"It's okay. Sooner or later I'll get used to it." Audrey responded.

"I just couldn't help but notice that you've been on the same page of your book for three days now."

"Yeah. I have a hard time staying concentrated." Audrey said, sadly.

"How come?" James asked.

"Because, I have PTSD." Audrey said.

"Well, yes. But, is it just that you get distracted every time you read? Or, does something in the story make you have flashbacks?"

Audrey had flashbacks every time she tried to read a book. She loved reading, but every time she did she remembered a time when she was reading an article in the paper.

_She was cold and alone. She had come so close yet; she was so far from finding Jack. She knew he must be around where she was being held. The Chinese had taken her prisoner two hours ago. Or, was it two days ago? Two weeks? Audrey had lost track of time. Either way, it was already the worst thing she'd ever experienced. The door opened and Audrey hoped they weren't there to torture her again. Cheng was holding a newspaper. He handed it to Audrey who read it slowly. It basically said that she had died in a car accident in China. She didn't know how Cheng could have pulled it off. But, he had. And, now nobody would be looking for her or Jack._

"I just get distracted." Audrey said.

"Okay." James said knowing full well that it was a lie.

The next morning Audrey woke up earlier than usual. It was 5 yet, her father was already awake. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked her father.

"I have meetings all day today. What about you?"

"Just ready to start my day, I guess." Audrey said. It was a lie. She had woken up from her worst nightmare since she got back from China. She was watching Jack getting tortured and it seemed so real. She couldn't help him and he died. Somehow it was worse than dreaming about the things that really happened in China.

"Are you going to be okay today? I'm not going to get home until late tonight."

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

At noon Audrey went to see Dr. Harris. They got started immediately.

_Jack had stopped the flirtatious glances with Audrey. He didn't want to cause trouble with her marriage or with their job. He didn't mind being just her friend but they both knew that there was more to it than that. They had stayed simply friends for about 3 months total but the attraction between them was too much. They couldn't spend a second without thinking about each other. They were the last people to leave the building one night and Jack walked Audrey to her car._

_"You didn't have to walk me to my car, Jack." Audrey said with a slight smile on her face._

_"I'm just a cautious person." He said staring into her eyes._

_"Goodnight, Jack." She said turning around. Jack loved when she said his name. He reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him until his mouth landed on hers. Audrey was surprised at first, but kissed him back passionately. They pulled away and Audrey was blushing. He muttered, "Sorry," under his breath._

_"No you're not." She said and lifted her head for another heated kiss. This time when the kiss ended, Audrey didn't want to leave. The moment was perfect. They rested their foreheads against one another's. Jack's hands were framing her face. Jack lifted his head and kissed Audrey on the forehead. Audrey smiled at him and got into her car._

Audrey stopped and she looked sad and distant. Dr. Harris asked if she was okay. Audrey sat there having a flashback of when Jack said goodbye for the final time. He had kissed her forehead after telling her that he loved her with all of his heart. Then he rested his head on hers and pulled away and said that he always would. Audrey could feel him slip out of her hands, but there was nothing she could do. She wanted to wake up and yell at him. To tell him not to leave and yell at him for thinking it was his fault.

"Audrey, are you still with me?" Dr. Harris said after a tear fell from Audrey's eyes.

Audrey nodded but, still more tears fell. Dr. Harris tried to comfort her, but nothing she or anyone could say would have made Audrey stop crying.

"Maybe, your father was right." Dr. Harris said after a while.

Audrey managed to say, "Right about what?"

"He wasn't too thrilled that we were talking about Jack. He threatened to find you someone else if we kept talking about it."

Audrey was speechless. She knew her father hadn't been happy about Audrey talking about Jack but she didn't think he'd be that angry about it. Audrey decided to end their appointment there.


	4. Chapter 4

_Review?_

Chapter 4

Audrey took an extra long walk home. She got home late but her father still wasn't home from his meetings. Audrey sat on her bed crying. She wanted Jack back more than anything in the world. She felt safe with him. She felt alive with him. She didn't consider her condition to be a miracle as her father did. He thought it was a miracle that Audrey was up and walking around so soon after her arrival to the US. Audrey thought of it as a curse. She wasn't happy anymore. She had felt hopeless and alone. She finally cried herself asleep but was scared awake when the door to the house opened. It was, of course, her father. He went into her room to check on her. He immediately noticed the tears. Is this what she did when he wasn't around?

"Hey sweetheart. What's wrong?" He asked, sitting next to his daughter.

"Nothing. You just scared me when you came in." She said. It wasn't a lie.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded and he stood up to go to his room.

"Dad," she said, getting his attention. "Why did you say Jack left again?"

James looked back at his daughter and left the room without a response. He had told her that Jack left to be with somebody else. He felt horrible and Audrey was devastated but he didn't want to risk her trying to find him. He had only hoped she wouldn't remember Jack's words when he said goodbye.

The next morning, Audrey went to her appointment and wouldn't talk to Dr. Harris.

"Audrey," Kelly started, "What's wrong? We were making progress."

"What's the point? Jack's not going to come back. I just want to know why he left." Audrey said.

"Didn't you ask your father?"

"Yeah. But, I don't know if I believe him."

"Why not?"

"He said Jack was with someone else. I just can't believe that after everything we've been through. And, yesterday after I told you about mine and Jack's first kiss, I had a flashback."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Jack was telling me that he loved me and always would."

"Audrey, I don't know if your father is lying or not but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. I also think that maybe if I know more about your relationship, we can maybe make some assumptions as to why Jack left."

_The day after their kiss had been awkward. They shared more lingering glances and flirtatious smiles. Worst of all, they had desire for more. They wanted to kiss again but they knew they shouldn't. Maybe that's what made it even more desirable. After a lot of the staff went home Audrey went to Jack's office where she planned to just talk to him like they always had. But, when she got into the room she saw his dark blue eyes and blonde hair and the stubble on his face. She ended up blurting out, "Will you go out to dinner with me?" She was about to take it back when she saw Jack's surprised reaction but before she could Jack accepted knowing that they couldn't keep pretending they were just friends. They went out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. They kissed again by Audrey's car before they parted. They went out for dinner every night and always ended their date with a passionate kiss. Every time they kissed Audrey felt her skin burn with passion. She had never felt that way with Paul. A week after their first date, Jack went into Audrey's office. Audrey was busy dealing with mounds of paperwork._

_"So, I'm guessing you're too busy to have dinner?" Jack said._

_"Yeah unless, you can wait until about three in the morning." Audrey said pointing to the stacks of paper._

_"Well if you want me to wait, I will." Jack said. "Or I could help you and we can get done sooner."_

_"You don't have to help. I know you probably want to go home."_

_"You have to eat sooner or later. How about I bring something here for you?"_

_"That'd be great." Audrey said standing up to give Jack a small kiss on the cheek._

_Jack returned half an hour later with Chinese food. He helped her finish her paperwork despite her refusal. They managed to finish everything by midnight. Jack walked Audrey to her car where they shared another heated kiss. Audrey's arms were around Jack's neck and his hands were placed gently on her waist. They seemed closer together than usual. He moved his lips off of hers and onto her neck. Audrey pulled away and put her hands on Jack's chest._

_The next two months had been absolutely perfect. Jack had met some of Audrey's friends who all approved of him. They'd been professional at work and hated spending time apart. But, it was the holidays and so Audrey would be visiting her Aunt in New York and Jack would be visiting Kim in L.A._

"Audrey, at this point had you and Jack slept together?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Yeah. Why? Is that important?"

"Maybe. I don't really know. I just feel like you left it out on purpose."

"Well, maybe I'm a little reluctant to talk about my sex life with a total stranger." Audrey said bitterly.

"You're right. I'm sorry I asked. You can continue."

_"I'm going to miss you so much." Jack had said before Audrey had to leave for New York._

_"I'll miss you too. Except the difference is that you're going to see your daughter who you love spending time with while I'm stuck at my Aunt's house listening to the reasons why I should get back together with Paul."_

_"Well, you could just tell them about us." Jack teased, knowing Audrey wouldn't say anything with her father around."_

_"Yeah, well at least you'd be in L.A. to look for a job closer to your daughter and further away from my furious father." Audrey joked._

_They said their final goodbyes and went their separate ways to their families. She found herself missing Jack more and more as the day went on. Her family kept giving her lists of reasons as to why she should try again with Paul. Eventually she had enough and went to bed early to get rid of the constant, "Divorces are bad" speeches. She was interrupted by her cousin who was slightly under her age. They had always gotten along._

_"So, things must really be over with Paul, huh?" Her cousin, Lexi asked._

_"What makes you say that?" Audrey said trying not to show Lexi that she was right._

_"Uh, let's start with the fact that every time someone brings him up, you try to avoid the subject. And, you've stopped defending yourself. And, the most obvious one, you're seeing someone else."_

_Audrey looked down. "Please, don't say anything to my dad."_

_"Okay, Ms. Perfect Daughter. He'll never know. The only reason I know is because you dropped your phone and I happened to pick it up for you and go through your texts."_

_"Oh, you're so kind." Audrey teased. Audrey told Lexi a little about Jack. That night Jack and Audrey talked on the phone about their days. Jack had a good time with Kim, Chase, and Angela. Jack had told Kim about Audrey and Kim apparently wanted to meet her._

_The next day at breakfast Audrey was quieter than usual. She wasn't sure how she felt about meeting Kim. She was happy that Kim wanted to meet her and that Jack felt good enough about their relationship to let her meet Kim. But, she was nervous that maybe Kim wouldn't like her._

_Audrey was snapped out of her thoughts when Lexi asked her for the third time if she wanted bacon. Audrey's aunt asked Lexi if she was seeing anyone. She said she was dating one of the people she worked with._

_"The best people to date are the ones you get to work with and watch 24/7. Right?" She said looking at Audrey with a mischievous grin. Audrey looked away and so did Lexi. Audrey dealt with this kind of thing all weekend. She was so nervous that her father would figure it out with all the things Lexi was saying._

_At the end of the week they finally got to go home and Audrey and Jack agreed not to ever be away from each other for that long again._

Audrey stopped thinking about how naïve they'd been. One week was nothing for them anymore. They'd been apart for much longer than that. The appointment stopped there and Dr. Harris seemed to rush Audrey out of the building after seeing the time.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: You know the drill read and review._

Chapter 5

Audrey went home and Dr. Harris got ready for her next appointment. She was usually so careful about watching the time. Jack Bauer walked in her office. She had always made sure that Jack and Audrey's appointments were far enough apart so they wouldn't run into each other if someone stayed over their time. This time had been too close. Luckily Jack made no mention of seeing Audrey. Kelly wasn't sure if he would though. He never talked about Audrey. The only reason he came was because his daughter, who he had been reunited with, asked him to talk about the horrible things that happened in China because he had nightmares every night.

"Good to see you, Jack." Dr. Harris said. "I'll be right back. I have to take these files into the back room."

Dr. Harris left with the files but left her notepad on the table next to her seat. Jack knew that she wrote things down in it while he talked. Jack was curious as to what she wrote about him, but had never been left alone with the notepad before. Jack decided it would be a good time because the phone had rang just as Dr. Harris went into the back room. Jack picked up the notebook and went by pages with names that weren't his at the top. He just wanted to know what she said about him. Until, he passed a page that said a familiar name at the top.

Audrey Raines

Only talks about JackDepression, PTSD-flashbacks, problems concentrating, nightmaresWants to know why Jack left her and doesn't talk about China

The rest was stories that she had told Dr. Harris. Jack read them and smiled briefly at the memories. Then his smile was wiped away by sadness. He put the notebook back where he'd found it. He had no idea that Audrey was going to the same psychiatrist as him. Not that it mattered. They couldn't be together. 'Depression' was the word sticking in his mind. Was Audrey really depressed? Was it because of him? Or, was it because of everything that happened in China because of him? Jack's questions were interrupted when Dr. Harris entered the room.

"Okay, Jack, let's begin."

"No." Jack said, coldly. He couldn't focus.

"What's wrong, Jack?"

"Audrey is one of your patients?" He asked.

"You saw each other?" She asked, sadly.

"No." Jack said, as Dr. Harris realized she had left her notepad out.

"Jack, the information in here is confidential. You can't look at it."

"Why does she think I left her?" Jack asked.

"Jack, I can't talk to you about this. Not only because of confidentiality but also because it wouldn't be fair. You get to know how she's doing but she doesn't get to know about you."

"Audrey knows as well as I do that life is not fair. If it was, I wouldn't even need to ask you about her." Jack said. If life was fair, he and Audrey would be together.

"Look I'll tell you this. Audrey is doing a hell of a lot better physically, but not so much emotionally. She feels like she's all alone in this world and she needs to start understanding that people want to help her." Dr. Harris said.

Jack didn't say anything. He knew the feeling. He wanted to leave and find her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that everything was going to be better.

Dr. Harris said, "Okay, Jack. It's your turn to talk. But, I don't want to know about what happened in China right now. Tell me why you left Audrey."

Jack sighed, "I'm cursed. And, Audrey's too amazing to be with someone who's just going to get her killed. I left to protect her. The people I love die, and I'm not going to let that happen to Audrey."

"Jack, let's just pretend that you are cursed, which I doubt. How come you're willing to let Kim, her husband, and your granddaughter back in your life and not Audrey? You're retired now. How much trouble can you get her into?"

Jack knew she was right. He was putting his family at risk by allowing them back into his life. So, why wasn't he letting Audrey back in? Did he care about her more than Kim and his family? Jack came up with the answer. "Kim and her family wanted to come back into my life. They're willing to take that risk."

"And, you think Audrey's not willing to risk it." Dr. Harris said.

"I think she's taken that risk too many times. I wouldn't let her do it again." Jack said. He left after this and went to his daughter's house.

"How'd your appointment go?" Kim asked.

"I'm not going anymore, Kim." He said going into the room with his granddaughter, Teri.

"No, dad. You can't come in here knowing that I won't argue with you in front of Teri."

Jack and Kim made their way into the kitchen where they argued. Kim insisted that he keep going.

"Dad, please keep going. It will help. I promise." She said.

"Look, I'm doing better. I don't need Dr. Harris's help now, not that I ever did." He added.

"What happened that makes you so stubborn about going?" She asked.

Jack looked down. He didn't talk about Audrey with anyone. There was too much pain there. Jack simply said goodbye and went back to his apartment. Kim decided to call Dr. Harris.

Dr. Harris told Kim that he had found out that Audrey was one of her patients. Kim said she had no idea her father still thought about Audrey. Kim didn't know what happened between them but she figured her father was over it.

Kim went to her father's apartment, leaving Teri with her husband Stephen. When she arrived, Jack apologized for arguing with her.

"So, what are you doing here?" He asked as they took a seat on the couch.

"Dad," she said quietly, "Do you remember when I first met Audrey?"

_It was in January and there was snow on the ground. Her plane had landed safely, for there was no ice. Jack picked Kim up at the airport that night. She was happy that she got to go to D.C. to see her father and even happier that she was going to meet his girlfriend. Jack told Kim about her when he visited for Christmas. She was glad that he had found happiness._

"_So when do I get to meet Audrey?" She asked, excitedly._

"_She's a little hesitant about meeting you even though she won't admit it." Jack said._

"_How come?" Kim asked._

"_She's afraid you're not going to like her." Jack said._

"_So do I not get to meet her this weekend?" Kim asked. She was only there for this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday._

"_No you will." Jack said._

_It was 9 in the morning, and Jack had to go to work. He dropped Kim off at the hotel she was staying in. Kim agreed to meet Jack at work so they could go to lunch together at 12. At 12, Kim knocked on the door to Jack's office. She walked in and saw her dad working hard on something. Jack smiled at his daughter and left the papers on his desk._

"_If you're busy, we don't have to go." She said._

"_No, this is considered a light load of work." He joked, grabbing his coat off his chair. There was a knock on the door._

"_Come in." Jack said. The door opened and Audrey was there._

"_Hey, I have more for you." Audrey said smiling as she went to his desk and put down another stack of papers. Kim couldn't help but notice the smile on her father's face as soon as Audrey walked in._

"_Audrey, this is my daughter Kim." Jack said._

"_It's nice to meet you." Audrey said. "Your dad talks about you all the time."_

"_Funny, I was going to say the same about you." Kim said smiling. She could tell Audrey was uncomfortable. "Do you want to come to lunch with us?"_

_Audrey looked at Jack for the answer. "Uh, sure. I'd love to."_

_They had a nice lunch and Kim couldn't help but notice how in love Jack and Audrey were. They had only been together for about four months but she could tell that they were in love. She figured they didn't realize it yet but knew it was only a matter of time before one of them said 'I love you'. She figured it wouldn't be her dad. He was probably trying to convince himself that he could never love Audrey like he loved Teri. But, Kim knew this was a lie. He was already more in love with Audrey than he had ever been with Teri._

"Dad?" Kim said, noticing that he was deep in thought.

"Yes. I remember." He said, hoping the conversation would end there.

"Well, what happened between the two of you? You guys seemed so in love." She asked.

Jack told her the story of Audrey going to China. He left out the part about him being cursed but told her the rest of the story. Kim seemed shocked, but tried to comfort her dad as she saw him becoming more and more upset with himself.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thanks to my reviewers (curlyCharlie and sydneykiss)._

Chapter 6

"So you liked Kim?" Dr. Harris asked after Audrey told her about meeting Kim.

"Yeah." Audrey replied.

"And, things were still good between you and Jack?"

"Things were great. Right after that he moved in with me."

"And things were still good after that?" She asked.

"Yeah. That's when I started to realize that I was falling in love with him."

"Did you tell him that?"

_"Audrey, your father is a very perceptive man. I'd like to tell him about us before he finds out on his own." Jack said._

_"Look," Audrey sighed, "my dad is sort of old-fashioned. Even though Paul and I are separated he- he still considers us married."_

_"I understand that." Jack said, walking towards Audrey. "And, I don't want him to draw the wrong conclusion and think that I had anything to do with the break-up between you and Paul."_

_"Yeah, but you didn't." Audrey walked towards him. "Please, Jack. Let's just give it a little more time."_

_Jack stood silent for a second and Audrey said, "I'm going to tell you something and I don't want you to panic." Jack tilted his head in confusion but allowed her to finish. "I'm falling in love with you. I don't want you to say anything and I don't need you to feel the same way. I just wanted you to know."_

_"I will see you downstairs." Jack said, walking backwards towards the door as to not avoid eye contact with her._

_Audrey felt stupid. Maybe she had rushed it. Audrey pushed her thoughts away. She didn't want the thought to enter her head that Jack didn't love her._

"So, he didn't say that he loved you?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Later, he did." Audrey said.

_"Yeah, my father's still in with Richard." Audrey said to Jack over the phone._

_"That's alright. I'll brief him later. I just wanted you to know." Jack said._

_"Alright, well that's good news."_

_"Yeah, I think so." Jack said. There was a silence before Audrey said, "Alright, I'll talk to you later?"_

_"Wait, wait." Jack said._

_"What is it?" Audrey said, sounding concerned._

_"Look," Jack started, "About earlier, I don't want you to think that made me uncomfortable. It's just that since Teri died, I-"_

_"Jack, it's alright, I understand." Audrey said, trying to sound convincing. Audrey felt like an idiot._

_"No, you don't." He said. "I just want you to know that I'm falling in love with you too."_

_Audrey smiled. "Wow. Um, you caught me off guard."_

_Jack said, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."_

"So, things were good between you that day?" Dr. Harris asked.

"No. My father and I were kidnapped and Jack saved us. Then my husband came to CTU and I told him about Jack. I told Paul that I wanted a divorce. Paul took a bullet for Jack. Jack was torturing people and breaking protocol. It's like they completely swapped roles. I thought about leaving Jack for Paul even though I still loved Jack just not who he was at the time. Paul died because Jack needed a patient to be alive and made the doctors work on his patient instead of Paul. I blamed Jack for Paul's death and later broke up with him."

"Well, that sums it up nicely. Did Jack seem upset when you broke up with him?"

"Devastated. He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. But, I broke up with him anyways. And then he died and I realized what an idiot I was."

Audrey sat feeling guilty about that day. She had been so cruel. She remembered being so depressed after she found out he was dead. She remembered the plane ride back to D.C. with her father.

_They had sat in silence for an hour. James could tell his daughter was in pain. She wasn't crying anymore which he figured to be a good thing. The flight attendant brought them beers. Audrey picked at the label on the beer feeling hopeless and alone. "The best solution is always beer." That's what Jack had always said after she'd have a bad day. He'd go into the fridge and get himself and her one. She remembered how they'd sit on the couch and Jack would play with her hair while they drank their beers. Her eyes started to tear up at the memories. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry in front of her dad. But, it was too late. Tears had begun streaming down her face and she couldn't get them to stop. Her father moved into the seat next to her so he could comfort her. Once her crying had subsided, he tried to talk to her._

_"Honey, I know this day has been hard for you." He was about to continue but Audrey stopped him._

_"You have no idea." She said. She felt bad about saying it but it was true. He hadn't even known about her and Jack until that day. _

_"Look, Paul loved you. He wouldn't have wanted you to be this sad." Her father said._

_"I'm not crying over Paul, dad." Audrey said._

_"Jack?" He said, instantly regretting it. Audrey cried some more making her father feel so behind. He didn't realize how serious things had been between her and Jack. Now it was obvious. Audrey loved Jack more than she could have ever loved Paul._

_"We should have told you earlier, dad. He wanted to tell you from the beginning. He respected you so much. But, I begged him not to. And, he listened because he respected me more. I broke up with him before he died. And, now I hate myself for it. He died thinking I was mad at him."_

"Audrey?" Dr. Harris said. "Are you still with me?"

"Yeah. Just thinking." Audrey said.

"Why don't you go home? We can talk more tomorrow."

Audrey left silently. Jack walked in minutes later and stormed into Dr. Harris's office. When Audrey was leaving she realized she forgot her purse and turned back to get it.

_A/N: pt2- Reviews always appreciated. No update over the weekend. sorry. Be back to writing on monday. _:)


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Reviews appreciated._

Chapter 7

"You told my daughter about Audrey!" Jack said coldly. "You told her that Audrey was one of your patients but not me!"

"Jack," Dr. Harris sighed, "I'm sorry. I just thought it would be better to keep it from you. I mean, I didn't want you to think about how close you guys have been for the past month."

"It doesn't matter anymore. I just came here to tell you to cancel my appointments." Jack said, knowing his daughter wouldn't be happy with him. There was a knock on the door that interrupted them. Dr. Harris looked at her watch.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jack. That must be my next patient." Dr. Harris said, walking towards the door. Jack followed her and stopped dead in his tracks when the door opened. Audrey was there. She was so close, yet so far away. He wanted to say something, but just let the silence fill the room. Audrey was shocked and confused. She stood in the doorway staring at him.

_Why had Lynn asked her to do this? She was asking Jack's girlfriend (or maybe not?) questions. It was strange enough to know that Jack was alive. Now she had to talk to Diane._

_"Someone knew that Jack was alive. It's critical to our investigation that we find out who that was." Audrey said._

_"No, no one ever asked about him. No one ever came to see him." Diane noticed Audrey's attention had shifted. She was now staring out of the room at Jack. Something had definitely gone on between them._

_"Can you excuse me for a minute please?" Audrey asked, not caring about her answer. Audrey opened the door and rushed down the hall after Jack._

Now it was just as strange. Dr. Harris broke the silence obviously noticing that Audrey was having a flashback. "Audrey, what are you doing here?" She asked.

Audrey walked through the doorway and around Jack. She made sure to keep her distance. She walked around him and made her way to the chair she had been sitting in. She reached down and picked up her purse. Dr. Harris saw the tears in her eyes. Audrey walked quickly out of the room not caring that she got close to Jack. She walked through the lobby quickly and got to the front door. She slammed it shut and walked away with tears finally falling from her eyes. When the door shut, Jack was able to move again and rushed out of the building to find her. He didn't want to lose her again.

He ran after her, but found her sitting underneath a tree with her head in her hands. He carefully approached her. He didn't want to scare her. He knelt down and touched her arm. Audrey lifted her head surprised that she wasn't scared when he touched her. She felt safe for the first time in a while.

"Are you okay?" Jack managed to ask. It was the only thing he could say.

"Do I look okay?" Audrey asked rhetorically.

"Beautiful," he said.

"You go to Dr. Harris?" Audrey asked.

"I did. I found out yesterday that you go there and so I decided to stop." Jack said and instantly regretted it. He hadn't meant it to be mean. Audrey put her head back down. "No, I just mean that I didn't want us to run into each other if you didn't want us to."

"What made you think I wouldn't want to?" Audrey asked.

"I figure that you probably hate me. And, you have every reason to." He said.

"I don't hate you, Jack." Audrey said. Jack smiled slightly when she said his name. "I'm just having a hard time forgiving you like you asked me to when you left."

"I wasn't asking you to forgive me. I just hoped you would. But, I understand that you can't."

"I don't get it, Jack."

"Get what?"

"You left to protect me. Yet, I feel like I'm dying every day that we're not together. How is that protecting me?"

"Because, you're not actually dying. Which is exactly what would happen if we were together."

"Well, maybe I'd rather be dead." Audrey said, staring directly into Jack's eyes. Jack couldn't stand it. She had changed so much from when they had first met. She used to love life. She loved everything about it even the bad things. He'd look into her eyes and see joy and love. But, now, things were different. He saw anger and hate. Not hate for him in particular. Just hate for the whole world.

"I'm sorry, Audrey." Jack said. Audrey shivered as Jack said her name. She had forgotten how good it sounded. "This is all my fault."

"Stop doing that Jack!" She demanded. "Nothing that's happened to me is your fault. You didn't ask me to go to China to find you. I did that on my own, which now I realize wasn't one of my brighter ideas. Jack, why do you always blame yourself for everything?"

"I'm cursed, Audrey. Everyone I love dies." Jack said, remembering his conversation with Heller.

"Jack, you couldn't have come up with that one on your own. Who was cruel enough to tell you something like that? Cheng?" Audrey asked. Jack stood up. He couldn't tell her. He knew Heller was probably still taking care of Audrey. Where would she go if they got into a fight?

"Answer me, Jack!" She said grabbing Jack's arm as he tried to stand.

"Your father. After he got a restraining order on me. After I got you away from Cheng." Jack said. Audrey had done it again. She was the only person who could make him talk. With just a look she could get him to tell her anything.

Audrey was shocked. "He told you that, so that you'd leave?"

"Yeah, but, don't be mad at him. I would've done the exact same thing if you were my daughter." As if on cue, Jack's phone rang. He didn't answer until Audrey told him it was okay.

"Hey, Kim."

"Hey dad. Can you watch Teri tonight?"

"Of course. I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and looked at Audrey.

"I have to go. Look, you have every reason to say no. But, do you want to go out to dinner with me tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Yes. That's exactly what I want." Audrey said. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go babysit Teri. She's Kim's daughter." He said.

They both stood up and went their separate ways. They agreed to meet at the restaurant that they used to go to all the time. Things were about to change.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Just a super short one today. Apparently I'm suppose to be hanging out with friends over the summer instead of sitting home writing and reading fanfiction all day. _:)_ Reviews appreciated like always._

Chapter 8

"Hey sweetheart. How was your day? You stayed a little later than usual." James said as his daughter walked in. She looked frustrated. "What's wrong?"

"How could you!" Audrey said, keeping her distance from her father. "Jack always respected you. He saved me! And, you tell him he's cursed. I can't believe he didn't kill you on the spot. I would have."

"Audrey, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw him today. Apparently he goes to Dr. Harris too. And, we talked about how cruel you were after he saved me." Audrey said, noticing the surprise on her father's face. "It wasn't Jack's fault. If he had any say in it, you know he would have begged me to stay here!"

"Audrey, Jack is dangerous! I was trying to protect yo-"

"Well, maybe you should have protected me the way Jack did, by leaving." Audrey said. She turned around and stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her. She didn't want to hear any of his crap. The next morning, Audrey woke up from a nightmare. It was morning already so she went downstairs to find her father working at the table.

Audrey refused to make eye contact. James put down his work and looked at his daughter hoping she would say something. She simply made herself a coffee and left the kitchen. She settled on the couch in the other room and after a couple sips of her coffee, her father sat next to her.

_"Audrey, you need to get some sleep." He said years earlier._

_"I can't sleep. I keep thinking of what they're doing to him." Audrey said. It was apparent that she hadn't slept in a while. She was running on coffee with lots of sugar._

_"Audrey, we're doing everything we can to get Jack back." He said knowing his daughter wouldn't believe him._

_"Sure." Audrey said. "But, if we don't get results soon, I'm going."_

_"We'll get something. I promise."_

_"Sure." Audrey said sipping her coffee. She knew they wouldn't. This country wouldn't want to risk having problems with China if they tried to rescue Jack. They were all talk and no game. All they did was lie and Audrey was sick of it._

"Audrey, I'm sorry for lying to you." He said, breaking the silence.

"And, that's why I'm mad, dad." Audrey explained. "You're saying sorry to me when you should say sorry to Jack. He's the one you hurt. Surprisingly, I understand why you lied to me. But, Jack is not cursed. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead and so would you."

"I know." James said.

"Good. I'm going to Dr. Harris's."

"Okay. I love you." With that Audrey just looked at her father and left. She loved him too, of course. But, she didn't want him to think she was completely over what he had said to Jack.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I feel like i haven't done this in forever but it's really only been like 5 day or something. Probably not going to write that much this week. But, i promise to write a whole bunch next week. i've just been super busy. Reviews make me happy and make me write faster._

Chapter 9

"_Are you sure you're ready to try having a relationship with Jack again?"_

Dr. Harris's words rang through her head as she walked towards the restaurant where Jack was probably waiting for her. Was she ready? Did he even want to try again? Or was this simply a thanks for trying to get him out of China when nobody else would?

She walked into the restaurant and looked at the tables. Jack was sitting at a table by the window. She walked over and Jack was looking at her the same way he always did.

"You look amazing." He said as she sat down.

"Thanks." She said. She wasn't wearing anything special but she knew Jack meant it. They sat in silence as they looked over the menu not knowing what to say to each other. When the waitress came over and took their orders, the silence became uncomfortable. They could no longer pretend to read the menu despite already knowing what they wanted.

"Audrey, I'm sorry." Jack started. She thought he was going to say more, but Jack wasn't sure what else to say.

"Jack, you've already apologized. And, I told you that it's not your fault. So please stop apologizing."

"Okay." Jack said. "So, how are you?"

"Bored. I pretty much do the exact same thing every single day."

"Like what?"

"I wake up, talk or yell at my father depending on the day, go to Dr. Harris's, walk home, talk to my father again, and go to bed." Jack wasn't sure how to respond to this. Audrey continued, "How are you?"

"Fine." Jack said.

"So, when did you and you're daughter start talking again?" Audrey asked remembering Jack saying something about his grand-daughter the other day.

"About three months after I came back from China, she called me and apologized for being a brat after she found out I was alive. She told me she was married and had a daughter. They live in D.C. only a couple minutes away from my apartment."

"Jack, that's great." Audrey said, remembering how angry Kim had been on the day that they found out Jack was alive. "So, you're with them a lot?"

"Audrey, I'm sorry. I know what you're thinking. But, I've hurt you a lot more than I hurt Kim. That's why I let her back in and not you."

"Okay." Audrey said. The food came and after that they didn't talk that much. It was strange how different it was from when they were first dating. They always had something to say to each other.

"Audrey, are you depressed?" Jack asked as they finished their dinner.

Audrey stared at him. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, Dr. Harris seems to think you are. And, I was just wondering if you thought you were."

"Dr. Harris told you that I'm depressed? How much about me did she tell you?" Audrey asked.

"She didn't tell me anything. I looked through her notes while she wasn't in the office." Jack said.

"That's none of your business!" Audrey said as Jack put money on the table. Audrey stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Jack followed her and grabbed her arm to stop her.

She started talking before he could apologize. "That's not fair, Jack. Why did you even ask how I am if you already knew?"

"I'm sorry Audrey. The truth is that I was actually trying to see what she wrote about me and then I saw your name and I couldn't stop myself from reading it. You would have done the same thing."

Audrey knew he was right. She would have done the exact same thing. "I love you so much, Jack."

Jack surprised her by kissing her. Audrey kissed him back and things felt normal again. Audrey's phone rang and she ignored it knowing that it would be her father wondering where she was.

"Do you have to go?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. My dad's probably going to send a search team for me if I'm not home soon." Jack smiled. Audrey turned around and started to walk home.

"Audrey, it's too late to walk home by yourself. Let me drive you." Jack said. Audrey hopped into the car. They didn't speak a single word during the ride. However, after a couple minutes Jack's hand left the steering wheel and found its way to Audrey's. They sat holding hands the entire way home and when they got to the house neither of them budged. Neither of them wanted to let go.

"I have to go." Audrey said, making no motion to actually leave.

"I love you." Jack said. Audrey smiled. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek knowing that she'd never be able to leave if they were to kiss like before. She pulled her hand away from his and walked into the house.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I'm backkkkk! Yay! Reviews appreciated._

Chapter 10

"Where have you been?" James Heller asked his daughter when she walked into the house.

"I went to dinner." Audrey said, knowing how angry her father will be when he finds out that it was with Jack.

"I was so worried about you." He said.

Audrey decided to change the subject. "So, I've been thinking. And, I think that I should try working again. What do you think?"

"Well, I think it's great, Audrey, that you want to get your life back to normal. But, I don't think you're ready to go back yet."

"Dad, I am ready."

"Maybe, you should just give it some more time."

"Maybe being here all day is my problem."

"Audrey, why are you bringing this up anyways?"

"I want my life back. Everything that I had before. I want my job, my own house, and Jack."

"Jack?" James said, confused. "Audrey, you saw Jack for the first time yesterday in years. He has been so close. If he really loved you, he would have come back for you despite my protests."

Audrey walked past her father and went into her room. She knew she should just ignore what her dad had said. She thought of hers and Jack's date. He told her he loved her. She finally fell asleep after convincing herself that her father was wrong. Yet, she could help but think of how the date ended. No talk of another date. They didn't have each other's numbers and she didn't know where to find him.

The next morning, Audrey woke up sad and worried about not getting to see Jack.

"Good morning, sweetheart." James said as Audrey walked downstairs still thinking about Jack. "I'm really-"

He stopped his apology as he saw Audrey take a seat on the couch with tears rolling down her cheeks. He sat down next to her. He reached out to touch her arm but Audrey pulled her arm away angrily and put her feet on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. Her face dropped down into her knees.

"Audrey, I'm really sorry about what I said last night." He said. He had hurt her and yet he didn't feel as remorseful as he should. He hoped that she would forgive him. He hoped she believed him though. He didn't want Jack back in her life. He hoped she'd end up being okay.

Audrey just continued to cry. "Can I do anything?" He asked.

"No." Audrey said, trying to dry her eyes. "I'm going to Dr. Harris."

"Honey, you know you can talk to me too, right?" He said as Audrey opened the door.

"Yeah, dad. Sure." She said.

The walk to the office seemed much longer than usual. All of Audrey's surroundings seemed gray to her. She just wanted to talk to Jack again. She wanted to be sure that her dad was lying. She didn't know why she believed him. She seemed to take everything he said so seriously.

"You look like you've been crying. I'm guessing your date with Jack didn't go so well?" Dr. Harris said.

"I don't know. Things were weird at the beginning and then I got mad at him and then we kissed and then he took me home."

"You got mad at him? What for?"

"Because he looked at your notes on me. I know it's stupid. I've just been getting mad at the smallest things lately. I yell at my dad almost every day now. Jack said you think I'm depressed."

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"You're not happy with your life, you get angry easily like you just said, you don't do anything fun like you used to, and Jack told me what you said when you guys first saw each other. About how you'd rather be dead."

Audrey thought about it. She wasn't depressed. She just wasn't as happy and naïve as she used to be. She now knew that life isn't easy or fair.

"I'm not depressed." Audrey finally said.

"Right." Dr. Harris said. Audrey told Dr. Harris about her date with Jack and then left the office. When she started walking away from the stairs an arm reached out and wrapped itself around Audrey's waist. Audrey screamed in fear and the arm let go. Audrey jerked away and turned towards the man behind her. She was relieved to see Jack there.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Jack said. He remembered the time when he could sneak up behind her and she would know it was him without even looking.

"No, it's okay. One day I'll get used to it." She said.

"I was trying to surprise you. We never really set up another date or anything."

Audrey threw her arms around Jack's neck and Jack was taken by surprise. He placed his hands on her lower back and pulled her in closer. They stayed like that for a couple minutes before Audrey finally loosened her grip around Jack. He kissed her gently on the lips.

"Come on. Let's go do something." Jack said.

"Like what?" Audrey said. Jack remained silent and walked with Audrey to his car. She got in and they drove away.

Ten minutes passed and the car finally came to a stop. Outside the car window was a familiar place for Jack and Audrey. It was Audrey's house that she and Jack had lived in. She hadn't been back to it since her days of trying to find Jack in China. She loved it there.

"Do you want to go inside?" Jack asked.

"Somebody else probably lives there now, Jack." Audrey said, looking at him.

"Nope, I've already looked into it. Your father never sold it after he thought you were dead."

Audrey smiled and let go of Jack's hand which she didn't realize she had been holding. It had felt so natural that she didn't even notice. She opened the car door and went to the front door of the house. Jack was standing next to her. She turned the knob and pushed the door but it was locked. Jack kneeled down and picked up a rock that surrounded the garden outside. He picked up a key that was hidden under it. He unlocked the door and let Audrey open it.

Everything looked exactly the same. Her belongings were all exactly where she had left them the day she left for China. Her father, if he had even been in there, managed to keep everything in the exact spot it was in. She grabbed Jack's hand and walked upstairs pulling him along with her. She opened the bedroom door and remembered the times they had spent in that room. She opened her closet and saw all her clothes. She laid down on the bed and looked at Jack.

"Thank you," she said, "For bringing me here. I forgot how much I loved this place."

Jack walked over to her and sat down next to her on the bed. Audrey turned her head to the other side of the room. She sat up and said, "You know, all of your clothes from before are in that closet." She pointed to the closet across from the one with her clothes.

"You still have those?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, Kim didn't really want anything after you died and she said I could keep them. So, I did. And, I still have the picture of us at the beach right-" Audrey stopped. She looked on the nightstand next to her head and saw the picture frame face down. When her father went to get her clothes a while ago, he must have turned over the picture frame. She was surprised he didn't just throw it away. Audrey leaned over and put the picture frame right back up. Audrey sat up and looked into Jack's eyes. He was smiling slightly.

"What's that smile for?" Audrey asked.

"You make me happy." He said, which made Audrey smile too. He leaned down and kissed her passionately. Audrey put her hand on the back of Jack's head and laid down bringing him with her. Audrey reached for the bottom of his shirt and started to lift it over his head. She let go when the sound of two cell phones began to ring.

Audrey and Jack answered theirs simultaneously. Jack was getting called by his daughter and Audrey was getting called by her father. They both hung up and said they had to go. Audrey got into Jack's car annoyed that their perfect moment had been ruined.

_A/N: I would have gotten this out sooner but the power went out and i was freaked out cuz it was hailing and stuff but i'm better now and the power came back._


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: I don't know whether or not to keep going. So, you should review and let me know._

Chapter 11

"Sorry, dad." Kim said when her father walked through the door. "I was just called in to work and Steve was already working late tonight."

"It's okay, Kim. I really don't mind watching her." Jack said. Kim always felt bad for making him babysit but Jack loved doing it. Kim said goodbye to Teri and Jack and left for work. Jack played with Teri and eventually put her to bed. Shortly after that Kim returned home along with Stephen.

"Was she good?" Kim asked.

"She's always good." Jack said.

"You sounded kind of busy when I called you earlier." Kim said.

"Yeah, I was with Audrey." Jack said.

"I thought you guys broke up." Stephen said.

"We did. But, not anymore." Jack said. He tried hard not to let himself smile. He left shortly after that. He wondered what Audrey told her father about why she was late getting home. He figured she wouldn't tell him about their relationship yet.

When Audrey got home, her father didn't ask her where she had been. He knew she was getting sick of fighting with him. They spent the whole night without a single fight. Audrey was trying not to fight with her father too. She knew they'd get into a fight soon. Now that she had been back to her house she wanted desperately to move back there. She wanted to tell her father but thought it would be a good idea to spend a couple nights without a fight so it wouldn't be so bad when she left. And, then there would be the fight when she tells him about dating Jack again. She was not looking forward to that one.

The next day, Audrey walked to Dr. Harris's office. This time, Jack was sitting on the stairs out front. She wondered why he was there so early.

"Hey." Jack said when she got close enough. He stood up.

"Hey, you're here early." Audrey said. She smiled and Jack smiled back.

"Well, I figured if I showed up well in advance there would be no way for me to scare you."

"Smart move." Audrey said leaning in for a kiss. Jack obliged but then pulled away.

"You should probably go inside. The faster you get done, the more time we have together."

"Or, I could just skip it today. And, we'd have even more time together."

"Audrey," Jack said. "I'm not here to stop you from getting help."

"I know. But, I do this every day. It's about time I change things up a little. And, I don't need help. I'm better now."

"Fine. If you insist." Jack said, not wanting to argue with her.

"Let's go back to our place." Audrey said.

"Okay."

They drove to Audrey's house, but this time Audrey shut off their cell phones before they went inside. This time Jack led Audrey upstairs to the bedroom. Once inside they kissed passionately. Jack pushed Audrey gently against the wall and brought his hands to the back of the sundress she was wearing. He struggled to find the zipper but found it and pulled it down as Audrey lifted Jack's shirt over his head. They paused a moment to catch their breath and Jack looked at Audrey to be sure that this is what she wanted. Instead, he caught her staring at his chest.

Audrey touched Jack's chest and outlined one of the scars. Jack saw tears forming in her eyes as she saw the work of Cheng. Jack reached down and grabbed his shirt off the ground and put it back on.

"Sorry, Audrey." Jack said, knowing that the scars scared her. Audrey felt bad for staring. She felt bad for the pain he had to endure in China.

"No, Jack. I'm sorry." Audrey said. She felt like a horrible girlfriend. She closed her eyes and tried not to picture how he had gotten them. It was too hard not to think about. She could picture exactly what happened and only hoped that maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. But, she knew it would be just as bad or maybe even worse.

She took a step towards Jack who was now sitting on the bed wishing he hadn't forgotten about the scars. Audrey leaned down and kissed Jack again. Jack didn't kiss her back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I forgot about them." Jack said. Audrey kissed him again this time on the cheek. He said quietly, "I didn't think you'd be that horrified."

"It's okay, Jack." She assured him. "They don't scare me. They just remind me of what happened to us."

"And, I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is remind you of what happened in China." Jack said.

"Well, too bad. Because, you do remind me." Audrey said. "And, I'm okay with that. I'd rather be reminded of what happened every day then have to live without you. I want us to be together. I like being reminded. It helps me make sure I don't take anything for granted."

"I missed you Audrey." Jack said. He loved the way she could make him feel better. He smiled at her. He kissed her this time and she kissed back. "Let's get something for lunch. I'm starving." He suggested.

"Good idea." Audrey agreed. Audrey stood up so Jack would zip up her dress for her. He zipped it up slowly and moved her hair to the side when it got in the way. He had forgotten how soft her hair felt in his fingers.

They ordered a pizza and ate it outside in the sun. Jack told Audrey about his grand-daughter and Audrey noticed how happy Jack's life was even without her. She was jealous but happy for him at the same time.

"How's your father doing?" Jack asked.

"Fine, I guess. I'm trying to be nice to him for a couple days. He's going to flip when I tell him about us. And, when I tell him that I'm moving back here."

"When did you decide that?" Jack asked, shocked that she felt she was ready to live on her own.

"Yesterday. I forgot how much I loved this place. This is home. No other place will ever make me happier."

"Well, good for you." Jack said, smiling. He had called this place home too before he had to fake his death. It too was his favorite place. The memories there made it home. The memories of him and Audrey sitting outside for lunch. The memory of making dinner together in the kitchen. The memory of him and Audrey making a huge mess in the kitchen because they didn't know how to cook. The memory of making love every night in their bed. The memory of having pillow fights in the morning before work. They all lived in that house and Jack desperately wanted it all back.

Forgetting about their lunch Jack kissed Audrey and led her inside. This time Audrey didn't stop to stare at his scars. She kissed them to try to make the pain behind them go away. They made love and it was perfect. They couldn't have possibly been any happier.

"Jack." Audrey said with her head on his chest.

"Yeah, baby?" Jack asked.

"I don't want to live here all alone." Audrey said. She looked up at Jack. "When I move in, will you come with me?"

"Are you sure, Audrey?" Jack asked. "I thought you were moving here because you wanted to prove you could live on your own."

"Yeah, but it will be lonely here." Audrey said. "And, this is our home. Not just mine. I can live here alone but I don't want to."

"Then, yes. Of course I'll live with you." Jack said. He kissed Audrey's head. He couldn't have possibly been happier. Jack smiled knowing that the memories in the house weren't as important anymore.

Now he and Audrey would make new memories. They would finally be together.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Obviously i decided to continue. Review please!_

Chapter 12

After driving Audrey home, Jack went to his apartment. He started packing immediately. He couldn't wait to move in with her. Audrey, too, was excited to move. However she wasn't looking forward to the fight that was inevitable between her and her father.

"Dad," Audrey said as soon as he walked through the door.

"Hi, sweetheart." He replied. "I'm sorry. I worked a little later than usual today."

"That's okay." Audrey said, knowing that the next thing she said would break his heart.

"What's wrong?" He asked, seeing Audrey think about what to say.

"Dad, please don't get mad." Audrey started. "Because I'm really happy and that's what you're supposed to want for me, right?"

"Yes, you're happiness is very important to me." James agreed.

"I'm moving out." Audrey said. Her father's face dropped in shock. She could see the disappointment in his face.

"Audrey, I'm glad that you feel strong enough to live on your own, but I think it's too soon. And, where are you going to live?"

"At my old house. I know you never sold it and I visited it and it was still beautiful."

"Audrey, I really don't like the thought of you living there alone."

"I won't be." Audrey said.

"What do you mean? Who else is going to live there?"

"Again, don't get mad. I'll be living with Jack." Audrey said.

"Audrey Louise Heller! If you think for one second I'm going to let you live with Jack, you're dead wrong!" James yelled. God Audrey hated when he yelled. It reminded her of China. Cheng constantly barked orders at his men.

"I thought you wanted me to be happy." Audrey said.

"No, I said that you're happiness was important to me. But, your life is much more important than that! You guys haven't been together for years. You guys have changed. It's not going to be like it was. What makes you think this will actually work?"

"We've changed together." Audrey said.

"What?" James asked, confused by the simplicity of her answer.

"You know how usually people change and it ruins relationships because they change in different ways. Well, back when Jack was working for you and we were kidnapped, Jack changed back into himself. And, I didn't like it. But, after he died, I changed and understood why he had to do it. So, when he came back, things were okay between us because I changed shortly after he did. And, then he got kidnapped and had all these horrible things happen to him in China. If I hadn't been through the same kind of thing, who knows whether our relationship would work." Audrey explained.

"Jack is going to get you killed!"

"Jack's daughter and her family have been with him. They're not dead."

"When did you and Jack decide to do this?"

"Today. We've been going out after my appointments with Dr. Harris." Audrey said, leaving out that she had actually missed her appointment all together today.

"I'm going to make dinner." James said, ending the fight between them. Audrey went to her room to pack. Instead she picked up the phone in her room and dialed the number that Jack had given her before he dropped her off.

"Hello?" Jack answered. Audrey smiled when she realized that he didn't say 'Bauer' like he usually did to answer the phone.

"Hey, it's Audrey." She said.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just told my dad." She said.

"How'd he take it?" Jack asked, jokingly.

"Not so great." Audrey said.

"I figured as much. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just hoped that maybe he'd have some big revelation where he realizes that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Sorry, nothing will ever stop your father from hating me." Jack said.

"I have to go eat dinner in either complete silence or in a fight so bye."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Of course. I love you."

"I love you, too." Jack replied, ending their conversation. Jack then decided to go to his daughter's house to tell her that he was moving into a new house this week. Kim was happy for him. The next day Audrey went to Jack's apartment to help him pack.

"Audrey, you don't have to help me if you don't want to. Don't you have to pack too?"

"Well, first I do want to help you. Second, yes but I can do that to avoid my father at nights."

"You're so smart." Jack said.

"Okay, what can I do?" Audrey asked.

"Put anything that's not clothes or something I'm going to need in the next couple days in these boxes."

"Like what?" Audrey asked. Jack picked up a picture frame and put it in the box.

"Like pictures and movies and stuff like that." He said. Audrey picked up the picture frame that Jack had just put in the box. There was a little girl with blonde hair.

"Is this your granddaughter?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah." Jack said, smiling.

"She's beautiful." Audrey said. Jack walked over to Audrey who was putting the picture frame back in the box.

"If you stop to look at every picture of her in this apartment, we'll never get done." Jack said, leaning in for a kiss. Audrey was happy to kiss him back.

"And, if you keep doing that, we'll never get done." Audrey said. They continued packing until Audrey had to go home.

"Do you want me to help you pack?" Jack asked.

"My father would love that." Audrey said sarcastically.

"Sooner or later, he's going to see us together." Jack said.

"Well, I say later." Audrey said.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Jack said. They kissed one more time before Audrey left. By the end of the week, they were both packed and ready to move in together.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Enjoy and Review._

Chapter 13

"Are you sure about this, Audrey?" James asked as Audrey brought her boxes outside on the porch. He had been pretending to be okay with the idea so he could hopefully talk her out of it.

"Positive." Audrey said. She knew what he was doing. He was playing the good cop by pretending to accept her decision. Unfortunately for him she was madly in love with the bad cop. "Please stop asking."

"Well, how about I go with you to the house and help you carry the boxes in. Just to make sure this is what you want."

"It is what I want. And, no. You're not coming because you'll fight with Jack."

"What if I promise not to say a word to him?" James asked. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

"That's the thing, dad. I don't want you to fight. But, I also don't want you to give him the silent treatment. Look, you and Jack are all I have left. I don't want to lose either of you. But, I can guarantee that if you don't get along with Jack you'll be seeing a lot less of me. I wish you guys could just get along."

"Maybe we can. You haven't really given us a chance. And, we're going to argue. That's inevitable. But, not around you. And, then maybe after that we'll get along better."

"I'll talk to Jack about it." Audrey said.

"Good." James said. Audrey's taxi arrived seconds later and James helped his daughter put the boxes in the car. He hoped that sooner or later she would come back.

Audrey arrived at her house thirty five minutes later and Jack came outside immediately to help her with the boxes. Jack paid the cab driver who drove of leaving Jack and Audrey kissing in their driveway.

"Let's go inside." Audrey said, picking up two boxes and carrying them inside. After they carried Audrey's boxes in, they sat on the couch. Jack put his feet up and Audrey sat between them. Audrey sat with her head resting on Jack's chest. Jack fingers tangled themselves in Audrey's hair.

"This is exactly like it used to be." Jack said.

"Except for all the boxes that are sitting right over there" Audrey said.

"They can wait." Jack said, kissing the top of her head. They sat like that for about ten minutes before Audrey got up and took the boxes with her clothes up to the bedroom.

"You really couldn't wait, could you?" Jack said.

"No, I'm too excited. We've waited so long, Jack. And, now we're finally together." Audrey said.

"It's been way too long." Jack said. "Are you sure you're okay with everything? I mean there's been a lot of change for you in these last couple weeks."

"Jack, stop worrying about me. I'm great. I've never been this happy in my life. For the most part, my flashbacks have stopped. I seem to be better able to concentrate. And, it's been getting better every day that I'm with you."

Jack took the box that Audrey was holding and took it from her hands. He kissed her gently and then put the box next to her closet.

"Oh yeah, I promised my dad I'd ask you. He wants to know if you'd be open to talking to him. To try and resolve your issues with each other. Because I told him how I probably wouldn't see much of him any more unless you guys got along."

Jack looked at Audrey. "Audrey, I really don't think we're going to get along. Ever."

Audrey sighed. She really wished they'd get along. They were the two most important people in her life. The only two people in her life.

"But, I guess we can try. But, only because I can tell that you want me to. Not because he wants me to." Jack said.

"You're the best, Jack." Audrey said wrapping her arms around him and kissing him passionately.

"Yeah, yeah. When do I have to see him?" Jack asked.

"I can invite him to dinner with us tonight. That way we're in a public place and you guys won't kill each other." Audrey said.

"I've killed in public before." Jack teased. Audrey smiled, and shook her head at him. Audrey called her father and made plans to meet for dinner. Jack and Audrey arrived at the restaurant first and Audrey established some ground rules.

"Rule 1: No killing. Rule 2: No fighting no matter what horrible things my father may say to you. Rule 3: If my father does say something rude just ignore it. He's just an angry old man. Rule 4-"

"How many of these are there?" Jack asked.

"One more. Rule 4: Kiss me now so that you won't do it accidently in front of my father."

"I like that rule the best." Jack said. He then kissed Audrey who smiled at him. James walked in minutes later and gave his daughter a hug.

"Hey, sweetheart." He said. He turned to Jack and stuck out his hand. Jack reluctantly shook it. "Jack." He said, trying his best to sound cordial.

"Sir." Jack said. James sat in the seat across from Audrey.

"How's the house?" James said after a minute of dead silence.

"Perfect." Audrey said.

"Good." James said. "And, how are you, Jack?"

"Good, sir." Jack said.

"I heard that you're a grandfather now." James said.

"Yeah, she's adorable." Jack said. Jack remained calm, but wanted so much to fight with him. Right now, Audrey would kill him if he did. He knew that once they were alone their anger would resurface. They spent the rest of dinner with little conversation.

Audrey could see the icy glares between the two men. She wished she could have heard the conversation that they had before Jack left. Things were tense between them. Audrey excused herself and went to the bathroom. This would be a good test. She hoped they could spend two minutes alone without ripping each other's heads off. Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to hear what they said to each other.

The men sat in silence. Neither one of them wanted to be the start of the fight. It would upset Audrey.

"How's your daughter?" James asked, trying hard to make some type of conversation.

"Good." Jack said. "Sir, I'm only doing this because it's important to Audrey."

"Jack, what happens when this country is under attack again? The government will look for you like they do every time you're sure that you're not going back. And, you're too concerned about the well being of innocent people to say 'no'. You get involved which automatically makes my daughter involved. I don't want her to be part of that world any more Jack."

"Sir, the government has asked for me several times since I've been retired. And, every time I've said no. Because my family is too important to me. I'm not going to lose them again. And, because I'm sick of the government telling me what to do. That's why my life was screwed up in the first place."

"Jack, you have enemies. They could want revenge."

"My enemies are in prison. Or dead. Audrey's coming back and she's not going to like this conversation so I would shut up before she decides to get rid of both of us."

Audrey sat back down and could feel that the tension had grown. The icy stares had vanished and they were now avoiding each other's eyes. Audrey looked at Jack who she could tell had been bothered by the conversation. Audrey sighed. At the end of dinner, they said goodbye to James and drove home.

"What did he say?" Audrey asked.

"Who?" Jack asked.

"My father. When I was in the bathroom." Audrey said.

"Oh. Nothing." Jack lied.

"Right, and I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Audrey, it's not important."

"Yes, it is. He didn't even apologize for what he said to you before."

"It's not that bad, Audrey." He said. Jack then told her their conversation. "See, Audrey, it's fine." Audrey wasn't responding. She just stared out the window.

_Audrey hung up her cell phone and walked out of the room._

_"Hey" Jack said._

_"Hey" Audrey replied. She walked towards him and he dropped his head._

_"Your father says you're going back to Washington tomorrow." Jack says._

_"Yeah I have to take care of Paul's funeral." Audrey said._

_"Yeah." Jack said. He could feel it coming. "And, after that?"_

_Audrey's eyes started to tear up. Jack continued, "I'm sorry. I know this isn't the right time to talk about everything. Maybe, tomorrow before you catch your flight we can-we can get together."_

_"Jack, I don't think that's a good idea." Audrey said. _

_"I thought we agreed, we wouldn't make those kinds of decisions today." Jack said. He could feel his heart being ripped to shreds._

_"I know it's just" Audrey started._

_"Audrey, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That's all I want." Jack pleaded. Audrey tipped her head back. It had been a long day. This was probably the hardest part. She put her hand on his chest and then gripped onto his shirt. She never wanted to let go._

_"We both know that you belong here, Jack. At CTU. Doing what you do best. And, thank God, there are people like you who can deal with that world." Audrey said. She rested her head against his. Everything Jack had said was exactly what she wanted. Why was she pushing him away? "But, I can't."_

_"Audrey," Jack said, softly._

_"Jack," Audrey said, with tears on the verge of falling. She put her hands on his cheeks one last time. "I love you. But, after today, it's just won't work."_

_She kissed him and pulled away. "I'm sorry." She walked out of the room. She didn't look back. She couldn't. He was her everything but she let him go._

"Audrey," Jack said, bringing her back to reality.

"Sorry, Jack. I'm so sorry." Audrey said.

"What just happened?" Jack asked.

"Flashback."

"Oh, was it something I said?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, about my father not wanting me to be part of that world anymore." Audrey said.

"What was the flashback?" Jack asked.

"When I broke up with you." Audrey said. "I love you so much. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Audrey. Really. That was a long time ago."

"The flashback makes it seem like it was yesterday." Audrey said leaning over in her seat to kiss Jack on the cheek. She would never make the same mistake she did that day. Jack was her world. And, this time she wouldn't let go.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Reviews as always appreciated._

Chapter 14

Audrey and Jack got home and went upstairs. Audrey sat next to the boxes on the floor and opened one of them. She picked up a pair of jeans from the box and put it into one of the drawers in the closet. Jack sat on the bed watching her unpack.

"Are you ever going to unpack your things?" She asked.

"Eventually, I will. Right now, though, I'm watching the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Really? I think you're just being lazy." Audrey teased. Jack stood up and then sat back down on the floor next to Audrey. He opened one of her boxes and picked up clothes. He helped her unpack and put everything either on hangars or in drawers. Jack reached for another box and opened it.

"Please, tell me you are wearing something like this right now." Jack said, holding up a pair of black lace panties.

"None of your business." Audrey said, smiling. She took the underwear from Jack's hand and threw them into a drawer. Jack leaned over and kissed Audrey's neck. "What are you doing, Jack?"

"Finding out for myself." He said.

"Later." Audrey said. Jack leaned away. Audrey reached into the box and put a sweatshirt into the closet. Jack leaned back over and started kissing her again.

"Jack, I said later." Audrey said.

"It is later." Jack said moving his lips to her mouth. "Please."

Audrey kissed him back to show that it was okay. Jack pushed the box that sat in between them away and moved closer to Audrey. As Jack kissed her neck, Audrey unbuttoned the shirt Jack had put on for dinner. She pushed it off his shoulders. Jack unbuttoned Audrey's blouse revealing a black bra. Jack made his way down the center of her body. He then removed her shirt completely and then her bra. Audrey helped him out of his pants. Jack then slowly removed the skirt to find a pair of black silk panties.

"Happy now?" Audrey asked. Jack shook his head and Audrey smiled. They made love and collapsed in each other's arms on the floor.

"Now I am." Jack said, responding to her earlier question. They didn't unpack any more that night. They simply relaxed in each other's arms happily. The next morning, Jack woke up to Audrey resting with her head on his chest. Jack stroked her hair gently. Jack watched her sleep for another half an hour before she finally woke up.

"How long have you been up?" She asked looking up at Jack.

"A little while." Jack said. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'll go to the store to buy food for breakfast."

"Sounds good. Can I come with you?" Audrey asked.

"As long as you're talking about both the store and the shower." Jack said.

"Yes. I was talking about both." Audrey assured him. They got up from the bed and made their way into the shower. After that they went to the kitchen to make a list of what they needed. The list was incredibly long since there was no food in the house. They went to the store and bought everything on their list.

When they got home, Jack and Audrey made waffles with strawberries on top. Somehow they had not made a huge mess in the kitchen.

"Looks like we're getting better at this whole cooking thing." Jack said.

"Yeah, remember when we tried to make chocolate chip cookies." Audrey said.

_"It can't be that hard." Jack said._

_"Said by the man who can't even make a sandwich." Audrey teased._

_"Hey, at least I can make a salad without chopping my fingers off." Jack responded._

_"That's because you cheat and use pre-cut cucumbers. I cut them myself." Audrey said._

_"Well, I think I'd prefer having pre-cut cucumbers than having blood all over the nice fresh ones." Jack said. He picked up Audrey's hand and looked at the band-aid on her finger. She bled a lot that day._

_"Alright, let's get started." Audrey said. Audrey combined the dry ingredients together and Jack combined the others in a mixing bowl. When they were done, Audrey poured the dry ingredients slowly into the mixing bowl. Jack turned the mixer on high and flour shot out of the bowl and got all over the counter and their clothes._

_"You're so smart." Audrey teased._

_"It's one of my better qualities." Jack said. He cleaned up the counter and Audrey finished making the dough. She added the chocolate chips. Audrey then took a spoon and scooped some cookie dough out. Instead of putting it on the cookie sheet, she put it in her mouth instead._

_"You do know that you're not supposed to eat raw cookie dough, right?" He said._

_"Yeah, yeah, because of the raw eggs. But, it's so delicious." She said. She scooped up some more and brought it towards Jack who was now sitting on one of the chairs at the table. Jack pulled her into his lap and ate the cookie dough that she had on the spoon._

_"See, who needs cookies when you could just eat the dough?" Audrey said. She went to the counter to get the bowl and then sat back down on Jack's lap. They fed each other cookie dough until the entire bowl was gone. So much for having cookies. Then Audrey brought the bowl to the sink to wash it. Jack followed her and stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. His hands slid up her shirt and Audrey sprayed him with water._

_"What was that for?" Jack asked._

_"You know full well what that was for."_

_"What this?" Jack asked, moving his hands back under Audrey's shirt. Audrey sprayed him again. Jack moved from behind her to the side of her where he splashed her with water like she had done. They did this until Audrey finally gave up on washing the bowl. Jack got a towel and put it around Audrey's back and pulled her in close. Audrey wanted tell him how much she loved him. She didn't. She was afraid he'd be scared off. She would wait just a little longer._

"I loved that day." Jack said.

"Me too." Audrey said.

"Audrey, would you like to meet my granddaughter today?"

"Yes!" Audrey said, excitedly. "I would love to."

Audrey went upstairs to find something nice to wear.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Okay. So this might be the last update until like the 23rd of August. I'm going on vacation and the hotel we're staying at doesn't have free wifi. So, review to pass the time. Thanks._

Chapter 15

"Audrey, are you ever going to be ready?" Jack asked, after five minutes of Audrey getting ready. Jack walked into the bathroom and Audrey was putting on make-up.

"Yes. You're very impatient, you know." Audrey said.

"Well, I just don't really think she's going to care too much about your make-up." Jack said.

"Well, I do." Audrey said. She finished putting on her make-up and walked over to Jack who was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She kissed him and Jack put his arms around her. "I'm ready now."

"About time." Jack said kissing her again. They made their way downstairs and into Jack's car. They stopped at a nice house with a swing set in the yard. Jack knocked on the door. Kim came to let him in.

"Hi, daddy." Kim said, hugging her father. She pulled away and greeted Audrey.

"Where's Teri?" Jack asked.

"In her room." Kim said. Jack took Audrey's hand and led her past Kim to Teri's room.

"Hey, kid." Jack said.

"Grandpa!" The little girl said, putting down her toys. She ran towards Jack and Jack knelt down to be the same height as the child. Teri gave him a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"You saw me yesterday." Jack said.

"That didn't count. You came over for breakfast not to play." She said.

"Teri, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Audrey." Jack said, while Audrey knelt down next to him.

"You're pretty." Teri said.

"Thanks, you're pretty too." Audrey replied.

"Let's go outside and play." Teri suggested. She took Jack's hand in one hand and Audrey's in the other and led them outside. They played all sorts of silly games with the child until lunch time when Jack and Audrey went home.

"Jack, she was so adorable." Audrey said.

"Yeah, she is." Jack said, smiling at Audrey. "You were great with her. I think she might like you more than she likes me."

"No way. You're like God to her." Audrey said.

"Yeah, it's only because I give her cookies before bed when I babysit her." Jack admitted.

"Hopefully not ones that you made." Audrey said, smiling at Jack. Jack pulled the car into their driveway.

"No, Oreos are much easier." Jack said. He leaned towards Audrey for a kiss. They went inside and Audrey let Jack try to make a sandwich. When he brought her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich five minutes later, Audrey clapped.

"Wow, you're like a pro now." Audrey said.

"Yeah, I make sandwiches for Teri all the time." Jack said, proudly.

"Yeah, and I bet she wonders why it takes you five minutes to make the most simple sandwich out there." Audrey teased.

"Perfection takes time." Jack said.

"Really, because it used to take you ten minutes just to find a knife. And, then you'd give up and tell me to make my own damn sandwich." Audrey said.

"And, I bet it was the best sandwich ever." Jack said. Audrey rolled her eyes. She ate her sandwich and went upstairs. Jack followed her. She sat by the boxes on the floor.

"Not this again." Jack said.

"I didn't say you had to help." Audrey said. "You could just unpack your things that are still sitting over there."

Audrey was starting to feel like Jack didn't want to move in anymore. He hadn't unpacked any of his things and didn't seem like he even wanted to.

"Maybe, later." Jack said.

"No, tell me what's going on." Audrey said.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Do you not want to stay here? Because if you don't you don't have to." Audrey said sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, clearly confused.

"You haven't unpacked anything yet." Audrey said.

"Audrey, I'm a guy. Unpacking boxes is not my idea of fun. But, if it will make you feel better then I will." Jack said.

"Are you sure that's it?" Audrey asked knowing that there was something else.

"And, I'm just afraid to lose you again." Jack said, cursing those eyes that could always get him to tell her anything.

"Why?" Audrey asked.

"Because I love you. And, I can't live without you." Jack said.

"No, why do you think you're going to lose me?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know maybe you'll come to your senses and realize you deserve a lot better than me. Or what if your father is right. Maybe it's just bad luck to be around me."

"He didn't say that." Audrey said, "Did he?"

"No, but people do die around me like he said. And, I don't want that person to be you." Jack said.

"Stop this nonsense please, Jack." Audrey said. "I love you. I need you. You're the only person who makes me happy. And, I'm not going to die around you. At least not for a few decades."

Eventually, Jack was convinced and started unpacking his boxes.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: I'm back. But, it took me a long time to write this chapter so i didn't post yesterday. Sorry._

Chapter 16

"I'm still alive if that's what you're asking." Jack heard Audrey say into the phone when he came downstairs in the morning.

"No, dad. We're fine." Audrey said. Jack wished he could hear her father's side of the conversation.

"Okay, bye." Audrey said and hung up.

"What did he want?" Jack asked. Audrey jumped and turned around. "Sorry," Jack said quietly.

"He's been calling me non-stop for the past couple days. I've ignored every call but I figured soon he'd come over thinking something was wrong if I didn't call him back."

Jack kissed Audrey and poured himself a cup of coffee that Audrey had made before he came downstairs.

"What do you want to do today?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to Dr. Harris's." Audrey said.

"Still?"

"Yeah," Audrey said. Jack looked at her. "Why?"

"Well, I just thought you've been better. That's all."

"I've been much better actually. Thanks to you." Audrey smiled at him. "I just like talking to her."

"Okay." Jack said. He wanted Audrey to talk to him. He knew she hadn't talked about her time in China yet with anybody. But, Jack wanted her to talk to him about it, not a psychologist. Audrey could tell that something was bothering him but didn't ask him about it. She finished her coffee and kissed Jack goodbye. She walked to Dr. Harris's office.

"How are you, Audrey?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Good." Audrey said.

"You haven't been here for a while which I'm guessing means things are going well between you and Jack."

"Yeah." Audrey said. "But, I came here because I want to talk about China."

"Okay. Go ahead." Dr. Harris invited.

"No, I want to talk about it with Jack." Audrey said.

"Oh, so then why are you here?" Dr. Harris asked, confused.

"Because, I want to know if you think it's a good idea. I mean Jack was there so he understands which is why I want to tell him but then again I don't want him to have to relive all those memories. And, he feels guilty for what happened to me."

"Well, why don't you just ask him?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Because, he'll say he does even if he doesn't." Audrey explained.

"I think you should talk to him about China. I think he'll feel guilty but he'll probably feel relieved that you're getting over it." Dr. Harris said. Audrey thought about it for a moment. She thanked Dr. Harris and went home.

"Hey, beautiful." Jack said when Audrey walked through the door. He stood up from the chair he was sitting in and kissed Audrey. He wrapped his arms around her. Even after all the time they'd been back together he still had the feeling like he should never let go of her. Audrey kissed him and Jack let go.

"What did you talk to Dr. Harris about?" Jack asked, curiously.

"China." Audrey said simply.

"Oh." Jack said disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

"I just thought that you would've wanted to talk to me." Jack said quietly.

"Oh. Jack, I didn't mean that I told her what happened over there. We talked about talking about China." Audrey said. "I want to talk to you but I wasn't sure if it would make you think about what happened to you over there."

"I don't care. I want to know." Jack said. He led her to the couch to sit down. She laid down between his legs with her head resting on his chest.

_She knew exactly where she was going. She had made the plans weeks ago. She and Jack would finally be together again. She tried putting that thought to the back of her mind. She wasn't going to be too hopeful. For all she knew Jack could be dead. She tried putting that thought out of her mind too. She hoped that wasn't true. Jack couldn't be- Audrey slammed on the breaks. There were three black SUVs horizontal to the road, blocking her way. She went to back up but there were three more of them behind her. She reached for the gun she had in the glove compartment. She looked out the window and saw four people getting out of each car. Each of them had a gun. She was so scared that the next thing she could remember was Cheng throwing her into a cold, dark cell. The cell smelt so horrible that she almost threw up or maybe that was because of the horrible headache she had. Why did she have a headache? She put her hand to her head and felt a bump it was bleeding slightly. She looked around the cell. There was a toilet in the corner but besides that it was empty. She sat on the ground wondering where she was exactly. Was she close to Jack? Somehow that made her feel safe. She wasn't sure how. It's not like he could save her. He was probably in a cell just like hers, probably even worse. An hour later, or maybe two or maybe a day, Cheng opened the door Audrey tried to hide her fear. She stared at him blankly. He took a bag out of his pocket and emptied the contents on the floor in front of her. It was a small pile of rice which was now on the damp, dirty floor. Cheng left without saying a word. She didn't touch the food. She was afraid of what they did to it. She knew she'd have to eat it sooner or later._

Audrey stopped. "That's enough for today." She sat up and Jack did too.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I just need a break." She said. "Are you okay?"

"It just makes me wish I would've killed Cheng." Jack said. "But, I'm fine."

"I love you. So much." Audrey said.

"I love you, too." Jack said. They spent the rest of the day not thinking or talking about China.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N:_ _Reviews appreciated._

Chapter 17

The next day, Audrey told Jack everything that she remembered about China and then persuaded Jack to do the same. Eventually he did, and even when he left out the worst torture scenes, Audrey still cringed many times throughout the stories. Every time he'd stop to make sure she was okay. They finished by dinner time and decided to join Kim and her family for dinner.

"Grandpa!" Teri said running to give him a hug when Kim opened the door. Kim went to the kitchen.

"Hey, kid." Jack said leaning down to see the child who was clinging to his legs.

"Guess what!" Teri said. She continued before he could guess. "I'm going to preschool tomorrow!"

"I know. Are you excited?" He asked.

"Yeah, will you come with me?" She asked excitedly.

"Sure."

"And, Audrey too?" She asked looking up at Audrey.

"Of course." Audrey said.

"Dinner's almost ready!" Kim said to them and went back to the kitchen.

"Meaning someone has to go clean up." Kim's husband, Steve, said coming out of the living room and looking at Teri. Teri immediately ran to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"Hey, Jack." Steve said. "How ya doing?"

"Good. Steve this is my girlfriend, Audrey. Audrey this is Kim's husband, Steve." Jack introduced.

"It's nice to meet you." Audrey said.

"You too." Steve said.

"Daddy! I finished!" Teri said.

"Let me see." He said taking the little girl's hands and inspecting them. "Look good to me. Why don't you go help your mom set the table?"

"Okay, Daddy." Teri said. Jack and Audrey followed Steve and Teri into the kitchen and helped bring food to the dining room. Everyone sat down together at the table. Jack and Audrey sat next to each other. Kim sat across from Audrey and Steve sat across from Jack. Teri sat at the end of the table next to Jack and Steve.

"Grandpa! We're getting a dog." Teri said.

"Really?" Jack looked at Kim and Steve.

"Honey, I never said we could get a dog." Steve said.

"Mommy did." Teri said.

"No, I didn't." Kim said.

"Pleeeeaaassee!" Teri begged.

"Not until you can take care of it on your own." Steve said.

"I can, I can." Teri said. Teri then started to list off all the reasons why they should get a dog.

"We'll think about it." Steve said, so that she'd be quiet.

"Audrey, have you ever had a dog?" Teri asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said.

"What was it's name? What color was it? How old were you when you got it?"

"His name was Hobbes. He was a golden-yellow color. And, I was five."

"Five?" Teri said disappointed. "That's a whole year away."

After dinner, Teri went upstairs to get in her pajamas. They stayed up and watched T.V. For a while before putting Teri asleep.

"I want Grandpa and Audrey to tuck me in!" Teri pleaded. Jack and Audrey followed her upstairs. She went to the bookshelf first to pick out a book. She chose "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. She crawled into bed and insisted on reading the book to them instead of them reading it to her. She started reading and Jack could't help but think of how similar she was to Kim.

When Kim was little, she would "read" the book to him and Teri. She didn't know how to read but she would remember every word of the book and remember when to flip the page so it looked like she could actually read. Teri was obviously doing the same thing.

"On Monday, he ate through one apple. But, he was still hungry." Teri said emphasizing the word still. She finished the story and shut the book. "At least the caterpillar was eating some healthy food. Otherwise he'd be a really fat butterfly."

"Goodnight." Jack said, knowing exactly what would come next.

"One more book! One more book!" She chanted.

"No. It's time for bed." Jack said.

"Please." Teri said with her puppy dog eyes.

"That may work on your dad but it won't on me." Jack said.

"How can you resist my puppy dog eyes? With daddy, all I have to do is look like I'm going to do them." Teri said.

"Goodnight." He said giving her a goodnight kiss. He and Audrey went back downstairs.

"Did you end up reading her two stories?" Steve asked.

"Nope. I told her I wouldn't go for the puppy dog eyes. But, I had to look away so that I wouldn't fall for them." Jack admitted. "So, what's with her wanting a puppy?"

"She's been asking for a month or two now." Steve said.

"You know you're going to end up getting her one, right?" Jack said.

"In a couple years." Kim said. "We're going to be too busy in the next couple months."

"How come?" Jack asked.

"Really? Congratulations!" Audrey said.

"Congrats for what?" Jack said, cluelessly.

"Dad, I'm pregnant again." Kim said. They celebrated for a while before Jack and Audrey drove home.

"So, are you excited?" Audrey asked him.

"Yeah, I can't wait." Jack said. Audrey sat silently. Jack asked, "You okay?"

"I'm pregnant." Audrey said. Jack looked at Audrey in shock and almost forgot to look at the road.

"What?" Jack asked making sure he heard correctly.

"I'm pregnant, too." Audrey said.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"I mean I haven't had like a doctor confirm it or anything. But, I took a pregnancy test last night and it was positive."

"Last night! You've known for a whole day and you're telling me now?" Jack said.

"Are you mad?" Audrey asked.

"Just shocked." Jack said.

"Why? I mean we weren't exactly using protection." Audrey said.

"I meant that I never really thought about being a father again."

"So, you're not okay with this?" Audrey asked. Jack pulled the car over.

"Audrey, of course I'm okay with it. Why wouldn't I be? I'm just surprised. That's all." Jack said. Audrey smiled. He kissed her gently and then pulled back out on the road.

"I love you." Audrey said.

"I love you too." Jack said.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: I have no idea why it took me so long to write this. I've just been so busy. But, it's here! Reviews appreciated. _

Chapter 18

The next day, Jack took Audrey to the doctor's to confirm her pregnancy. After waiting a couple more weeks, Jack told Kim and her family. Teri was thrilled about the idea of being a big sister and having an aunt or uncle. Kim and Steve had both been only children so Jack and Audrey's baby would be her first.

Jack and Teri played in her room after dinner. Teri asked, "Am I going to have a brother or a sister?"

"I don't know." Jack told her.

"Well, I hope it's a girl." Teri said.

"Why is there something wrong with little brothers?" Jack asked knowing from experience that there was.

"Girls are more fun." Teri said.

"But, you wouldn't have to share your toys if you had a brother because he wouldn't want to play with them anyway." Jack said, so Teri wouldn't be disappointed if it was a boy.

"That's true." Teri said. "Am I going to have an aunt or an uncle?"

Jack laughed. "I don't know."

"How come you don't know?" Teri asked.

"You have to wait a little while before we know." Jack said.

"Do Audrey and Mommy know?" Teri asked. "They're the ones with the babies. They should know."

Jack smiled at her. "No, they don't know either. Tell me about your first day of preschool."

"It was great." Teri said forgetting about the topic of babies. "We got to color and play games and read stories."

"That's good. Did you make any friends?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I made lots of friends!" Teri said. Teri, then, proceeded to tell Jack about her entire first day of preschool. Jack listened carefully to the excited girl talk knowing in a couple years she'd absolutely hate school. After that, they went downstairs to be with the rest of the family. Teri crawled onto the couch in between her parents and Jack sat next to Audrey.

"Mommy, can I bring the baby in for show-and-tell at school on Friday?" Teri asked.

"Honey, I told you. The baby won't be here for months." Kim explained, nicely.

"Why?" Teri asked.

"Because the baby needs to grow first." Kim said.

"How big is the baby right now?" Teri asked.

"About an inch long." Kim said.

"An inch?" Teri exclaimed. "But, that's really small!"

"Yeah which is why we have to wait before it comes." Kim said.

"It's going to have to grow a lot." Teri said. "Audrey, how big is your baby? Is it going to be here soon?"

"My baby is even small than an inch." Audrey explained.

"This is going to take forever." Teri said impatiently. "How do you make the baby grow?"

"Well, when I eat the baby gets some of that food and uses it to grow." Kim explained. Teri stood up from the couch and ran into the kitchen. She came back with the cookie jar that was filled with several types of cookies. She sat back down and gave the cookie jar to her mom.

"Eat all of them. Then the baby will be big enough." Teri suggested.

"Teri, that's not how it works. It just takes time." Steve said.

"Speaking of time. It's way past your bedtime." Kim said. Teri got up from the couch obediently hoping that the next day would come faster and the months would go by quicker. Steve volunteered to get her into bed, knowing that she'd ask her mother a million more questions about the baby if Kim had tucked her in. Instead Teri asked her father a million questions as he tucked her in.

"She seems excited." Audrey said as Steve took Teri upstairs.

"Yeah, I'm glad. I don't know what we would have said if she wasn't happy about it." Kim said.

"Are the babies really that small?" Jack asked. Audrey and Kim looked at him with curiosity.

"Are you being serious?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Give me a break. I wasn't around very much when Teri was pregnant with Kim."

"Yes, Dad. The babies are very small and get bigger and bigger as time goes on." Kim explained to him as if he were five. Jack smiled.

"Do you need to know where they come from, too?" Audrey asked.

"We could buy you some books about it if you'd like." Kim teased.

"No, that's alright." Jack said. Steve came downstairs minutes later. The four of them talked for a while then Jack and Audrey went home.

"You're excited, right?" Audrey asked.

"Of course, baby." Jack said.

"Do you think it's going to be a girl or a boy?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know." Jack said.

"Well, what do you want it to be?" Audrey asked.

"It doesn't matter to me." Jack said. "If it's a girl, I want her to be exactly like you. And if it's a boy, well, I still want him to be like you."

"You're so sweet." Audrey said.

"Yeah, I know." Jack joked, arrogantly.

"But, I hope the baby will be exactly like you."

"Now, why would you want that?" Jack asked.

"You're sweet and caring and brave and just the best thing that's ever happened to me." Audrey said.

"But, you're sweet and beautiful and loyal and funny and-" Audrey cut him off with a kiss. "a great kisser."

"And, you want our baby to be a good kisser?" Audrey teased.

"No, especially not if it's a girl." Jack said.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Yess! I made a goal to finish writing this chapter and still have enough time to do my english essay. I know my priorities are a little backwards. Review Please!_

Chapter 19

"When does this stop?" Jack asked.

"Not for a while." Audrey said, drinking a glass of water. She had just finished vomiting for the second week in a row. Every night Jack would hold her hair in the middle of the night when he heard her wake up. "You don't have to sit up with me every night."

Jack just shrugged. He felt bad for putting her through this. He also didn't want to miss a single second of the pregnancy. Audrey was now 2 months pregnant and Kim was now almost 4 months pregnant.

"So, maybe you should stay home today?" Audrey suggested.

"No way! I don't want to miss your father's face when we tell him. He's going to be so mad." Jack said.

Audrey cringed. "You're not making this any easier."

"Sorry." Jack said. He knew Audrey was worried about what her father would say.

At lunch time, Jack and Audrey made their way to the restaurant to meet her father.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Audrey said.

"In that case, I'd make your way to the bathroom." Jack said.

"No, I mean I'm just nervous." Audrey said.

"Why do you care what he says anyway? You're happy. I'm happy. If he's not then we don't want to see him anyway." Jack said.

"Jack, it matters because he's my dad. And, I know you don't get along with each other. But, I need him to be okay with this."

"Sorry." Jack said. He felt like he had said that too many times these past couple weeks.

"Here he is." Audrey said watching the door. James Heller approached them and hugged his daughter.

"Jack." He said, as his greeting to Jack. He sat down across from them. They made small talk for a long time before Audrey decided to tell him.

"Dad, we need to tell you something." Audrey started.

"You're not getting married." He said.

"Um no that's not what I was going to say." Audrey said.

"Good." James said. Audrey looked at Jack. If he didn't even want them to get married he'd hate the fact she was pregnant.

"Sir, Audrey's pregnant." Jack said, spitting it out at Audrey's request.

"What?" James said in total shock.

"I'm pregnant." Audrey repeated.

"I meant how could you be so careless? I mean it costs a lot to have a baby. You guys are living off of Jack's retirement money. Not to mention you're not married."

"Funny, you just said you didn't want us to get married." Jack said.

"I don't. But, you guys have only just gotten back together. What if things don't work out between you two?"

Audrey looked at Jack then back at her father. "We just thought you'd want to know. In case you wanted to be a part of the baby's life. But, apparently you don't." Audrey stood up and walked out of the restaurant towards the car.

"She really wanted you to be happy for us. Not to mention you'd probably get to see her more if you wanted to see the baby." Jack told James before following her outside. Jack drove away and Audrey looked sadly out the window.

"Baby, it doesn't matter." Jack said trying to make her feel better.

"Yes it does! Think of how much time you spend with Teri and how different her life would be without you."

"It wouldn't be that different. She has two amazing parents who love her just as much as we're going to love our kid. She doesn't need me. And, we don't need him." Jack said.

"What if he's right?" Audrey said.

"Audrey, we aren't going to break up." He insured.

"That's not what I meant. I meant the part about not having enough money to raise a kid?"

"If we start struggling, I'll get a job." Jack told her.

"But, not with the government, right? Or, any other dangerous place?" Audrey asked.

"I promise." Jack said. Audrey smiled at him and took his hand in hers. Audrey looked at Jack and knew that he'd make the perfect dad in a couple months.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: I'm sorry i've kept you waiting so long! Reviews always appreciated!_

Chapter 20

By Audrey's fourth month of pregnancy, her morning sickness had almost completely gone away. While Audrey was only just starting to gain weight, Kim had gained a lot. Kim and Steve knew what the gender of the baby was going to be. They hadn't told Teri, Audrey, or Jack yet. They wanted to keep the three of them in suspense.

"Come on, Mommy!" Teri pleaded. Jack and Audrey were over for dinner.

"Not yet. Steve is going to finish the baby's room and then we'll take you guys in to show you the color." Kim said.

"When do you find out Audrey?" Teri asked.

"Next month." Audrey said.

"You should just tell me if it's a girl or a boy and then leave mommy and daddy wondering." Teri said. Audrey smiled.

"We'll see. If Jack doesn't spill it." Audrey teased.

"Hey! I've kept government secrets for years. I think I can keep it a secret." Jack said.

Audrey smiled at him then turned her attention to Kim. "Have you been thinking of names?"

"Yeah, there's-" Kim started.

"She's trying to trick you." Steve interrupted.

"You're good." She said to Audrey.

A week later, the three of them could no longer take the suspense. Finally, the nursery was finished and they could go in and see it. Kim let Teri do the honors of opening the door. She pushed it open to reveal a bright pink room.

"I'm having a sister?" Teri asked in excitement.

"Yep." Steve answered.

Jack and Audrey congratulated them. Audrey was now even more excited about finding out her baby's gender. She waited impatiently for a few more weeks until she went back for her next ultrasound hoping that they'd be able to tell her. Jack, too, was excited. Having another girl would be great. He remembered all the great times he'd had with Kim. Having a boy would be great, too. He thought about all the things he could do with a son instead of with a daughter, and vice versa, and realized that they would both make him extremely happy.

They went to the ultrasound hoping they wouldn't have to wait any longer for the news. When the doctor said he could tell them, they were so excited. After finding out, they got back into the car.

"This is so exciting!" Audrey said.

"I know, baby. This is great." Jack said.

"Now we can start thinking of names!" Audrey said.

"Sweetheart, we still have four more months before he comes." Jack said.

"I know. Wasn't it nice just then? Saying 'he' instead of 'the baby'?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah." Jack said. He was thrilled that they were having a son. He had always wanted a son. He just hoped he wouldn't mess things up like he did with Kim.

"Let's go tell Teri!" Audrey said.

"She's at preschool." Jack said, smiling at how excited Audrey was. Audrey sighed. "So, I've been thinking."

"About what?" Audrey asked.

"Should I go back to work?" Jack asked.

"That depends." Audrey said.

"On?" Jack asked.

"What you're going to do for work." Audrey said.

"Not for the government." Jack insured her.

"In that case, go right ahead. I mean if that's what you want." Audrey said.

"But, what else can I do? I've only ever done jobs where my life was in jeopardy." Jack said.

"I don't know." Audrey said, trying hard to think of jobs. All she could focus on was the baby. Later that night, Jack and Audrey told Kim, Teri, and Steve. They congratulated them. They spent the next couple weeks looking at names and narrowing their choices down.

Less than three months later, Kim had her new daughter, Haley. Teri was excited when Kim finally brought the baby home. She held the baby while sitting on the couch. Jack and Audrey sat next to Teri admiring the baby. They were now even more excited about having their baby than before. Teri seemed to love having a baby sister and constantly wanted to help take care of her. Teri would try to read her a book every night.

Jack and Audrey were now getting ready for their baby. They started to baby proofed their house, bought clothes, and set up a crib in the baby's room. After setting up the crib, Audrey and Jack laid in bed.

"Does he still kick you a lot?" Jack asked.

"Sometimes. Not as much as he used to though." Audrey said.

"Just a couple more months." Jack said. They were very getting very impatient.


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Okay, here ya go. Reviews always appreciated. Short but it seemed like a good place to end._

Chapter 21

"Dad?" Audrey said in surprise when she opened the door about two weeks before her due date.

"Hi, sweetheart." James said, apologetically.

"What do you want?" Audrey asked.

"Audrey, I'm sorry. I've been a horrible father and I-"

"Yeah, you have." Audrey interuppted, coldly.

"I'm sorry. Really. I'm just always so worried about you. But, obviously you're doing fine and I should have never worried."

"Yeah, we are fine." Audrey corrected while reminding him that Jack was still in the picture.

"Look, I understand if you hate me and never want to see me again but I really hate not being a part of your life."

"Apologize to Jack." Audrey said.

"Sure. For what?" James asked.

"For anything you've ever said to make him think he wasn't good enough for me." Audrey said.

"Okay." He said. Audrey stepped to the side, reluctantly. James moved past her and into the living room. Audrey called up to Jack who was upstairs. He came down quickly.

"Is it time?" He asked.

"No." Audrey said. "My father has something to say to you."

"Sir," Jack said sitting down across from him. Audrey turned around to leave them alone, but could still hear her father's apology from the kitchen. When she went back to the living room, they were talking about the baby. Audrey sat in a chair and Jack left to find the ultrasound pictures for Audrey's father.

"So, are you excited?" James asked.

"Of course." Audrey said, smiling. "Thank you. For apologizing."

"And, I'm sure I'll be saying sorry for years so get used to it." James said. He paused a minute before turning the conversation back to the baby. "Have you and Jack been thinking of names?"

"Yeah, but we haven't decided yet. Our list is still pretty long." Audrey said. Jack walked down with pictures in his hand and handed them to James. After a while he went home, and for the first time Audrey didn't seem to be angry with him.

"So, are you happy now?" Jack asked, knowing how much Audrey wanted her father to be a part of their son's life.

"Yes." Audrey said. "Not that I was unhappy before. I'm just more happy now."

"Good. Me too." Jack said. He leaned over and kissed her and then her stomach. Audrey smiled.

"Now about those names" Audrey said.

"Let's just give him a million names so we don't have to choose." Jack suggested.

"No." Audrey said. "Come on. We need to pick one."

"We still have two weeks." Jack said, now kissing Audrey's neck.

"Jack, just because my due date is in two weeks doesn't mean that I can't have the baby earlier than that." Audrey said.

"Well, shouldn't we see the baby before we name it. That way the name fits." Jack said.

"Then can we at least narrow down our choices?" Audrey asked. "Please?"

"Fine." Jack said, moving his lips off of her skin. They sat with a long list of names in front of them and eliminated their choices. They were still left with a few at the end, but decided to wait until the baby was born before assigning a name. They spent another week making sure everything was ready for the baby. A couple days later, Audrey went into labor. The baby was incredibly cute. They chose a name before anyone came in to see him.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: As always reviews are appreciated._

Chapter 22

"Kyle Ethan Bauer, you are too cute," Kim said watching her new baby brother look at himself in a mini mirror. His eyes were deep blue like Jack's but looked primarily like Audrey. He was now one month old. Kim was baby sitting while Jack and Audrey spent the day with Teri at the park. In general, Kyle was much quieter than Haley who had finally fallen asleep after crying all night. Kim looked towards where Haley was sleeping and saw her cuddled up with the stuffed animal that Teri gave to her. Kim smiled, then looked back at Kyle who was still entertained by his reflection.

Meanwhile, Teri, Jack, and Audrey were driving home from the park. Teri was telling Jack and Audrey all about how much she loves her baby sister.

"Except when she cries," Teri says, "Which is a lot."

"She's a baby of course she's going to cry," Jack tried explaining.

"Kyle never cries," Teri said.

"Of course he does. Just not as often as most babies," Jack said.

"Did my mom cry a lot when she was a baby?" Teri asked.

"Yeah," Jack said.

"Probably where Haley gets it from," Teri concluded, "Did I cry a lot?"

"I don't know. We should ask your mom," Jack said as they pulled into the driveway. Teri ran into the house to ask.

"Mom, did I cry a lot when i was a baby?" Teri asked.

"Yeah, even more often than Haley does," Kim said.

"More than that?" Teri asked.

"Yeah, I don't think I slept for weeks after you were born," Kim said.

"Oh. Mom, did Kyle cry?" Teri asked.

"No, why?" Kim asked.

"I don't think he ever cries," said Teri. Kim smiled at Teri and then at her father and Audrey.

"How was the park?" Kim asked.

Teri told Kim all about their trip while Audrey leaned down next to Kyle. He looked at her sweetly and Audrey smiled at him. "You hungry, yet?" She asked him quietly as to not interrupt Teri. Audrey scooped up Kyle into her arms and brought him to the kitchen to warm up a bottle of milk. Once ready she gave it to him and walked back into the room. Teri had just finished telling about their day.

"Audrey, how do you know he's hungry if he doesn't cry?" Teri asked.

"He was putting his hands in his mouth. That's usually a sign that he's hungry. And, if he's not hungry, he'll just push the bottle away," Audrey explained. After finishing the entire bottle, Jack, Audrey, and Kyle made their way home. Jack took Kyle from Audrey to put him in his car seat. Once the baby was secured, Jack drove off.

"Can you believe that a year ago, I never thought I'd see you again?" Jack said.

"Well I'm glad you were wrong," Audrey said.

"Me too," Jack said. Audrey smiled.

_"__Jack__have__you__seen__my__shoes?__" __Audrey__asked,__wearing__a__long__black__dress.__She__and__Jack__were__headed__to__a__benefit__dinner__with__DoD__employees.__Audrey__'__s__father__was__also__going__to__be__there._

_ "Which ones?" Jack asked. "You have a million pairs."_

_ "They're simple black heels," Audrey said._

_ "You mean the ones right here?" Jack asked picking up a pair of shoes off the middle of the floor._

_ "Thanks," Audrey said taking them from him. "You ready?"_

_ Jack nodded. They made their way outside to their cars. Just before getting into their cars, Audrey kissed Jack passionately._

"_What was that for?" Jack asked._

"_So, I wouldn't be tempted to do it at dinner." Audrey replied. They got into seperate cars so they wouldn't raise suspicion about their relationship. They arrived a couple minutes apart from each other but sat at a table with Secretary Heller. Audrey was the last person to arrive at their table._

_Jack looked at the people at their table. There were three other DoD employees that Jack saw on a regular basis and three others who Jack had only seen in passing. Then, there was Secretary Heller, and finally Audrey. Jack tried not to look at her directly in order to avoid unwanted suspicion, but could still tell that she looked amazing. Jack didn't understand why Audrey cared so much about what her thought of their relationship, but she did. So, he tried not to raise suspicion. Towards the ned of the dinner, Jack found Audrey talking to her father at the bar. Audrey looked annoyed, and Jack couldn't help but wonder why._

_Eventually, Jack and Audrey ended up back at Audrey's. They sat on the couch together and then Jack remembered the conversation Audrey and Secretary Heller had been having._

"_So, I saw you talking with your dad earlier," Jack brought up._

"_And, is that not normal?" Audrey asked._

"_Well, you looked sort of annoyed," Jack said._

"_Yeah, he was just telling me how great Paul is," Audrey explained._

_ "And, that's when you're supposed to tell him about us," Jack suggested._

_ "Jack, we're not telling him," Audrey said._

_ "So, what did you say?" Jack asked._

_ "I just told him he was wrong," Audrey said, "I try not to fight with him too much."_

_ "Well, I'm happy he's wrong."_

_ "Me too," Audrey said as Jack kissed her._

"Audrey," Jack said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Flashback," Audrey said. "Don't worry. It was a good one."

"Your dad's coming over tomorrow, right?" Jack asked. Audrey nodded.


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: Okay i'm supper sorry because i haven't had internet for 2 weeks. (grr it was so annoying, glad that's over). But i've been working on a new story over those weeks. Here's a short chapter just to prove i'm still alive. Reviews always appreciated! _

Chapter 23

James was happy to spend time with his new grandson who he couldn't help but love. Even when Kyle wasn't doing anything he was extremely cute. James would come over about two times a week to see the baby. Each time it was time for him to leave he would find it hard to walk away from the cuteness of the baby.

This day was no different. He kissed Kyle goodbye and forced himself out of the nursery. As he walked past Audrey in the living room he saw her gluing pictures into a book.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's Kyle's baby book," Audrey said, "You want to see?"

James sat next to his daughter and him the book. He looked at the pictures of Kyle with Audrey, Jack, Kim, Teri, Haley, and even himself. There were captions for each picture and some other information about Kyle. James handed Audrey the book back and Audrey continued gluing.

"See you in a couple days," James said.

"Okay, are you sure you don't want to stay longer?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah I'm sure," James said.

"Okay. Bye then," Audrey said, wondering why he wouldn't want to stay. James left and Audrey went upstairs. She walked into the baby's room and found Jack reading a book to Kyle who seemed to be entertained. When she walked in Jack stopped and looked up.

"Don't stop. This is the best part," Audrey said knowing Jack didn't like kids' books.

"There isn't a best part," Jack said, "There's never any action in these books."

"That's because they're meant for kids. Not for you," Audrey said, sitting in the chair next to Jack who was holding Kyle.

"But, there should be something to entertain the parents," said Jack.

"Well, maybe you should write a book," Audrey teased, "In the meantime, please keep reading."

"Why?" Jack said.

"Because your son would love it if you did. And, I think it's incredibly sexy when you do."

Jack smiled at her, "Fine." He continued to read until he finished. Then he kissed Kyle and held him up to Audrey so she could say goodnight. Jack put him down nicely in his crib and he and Audrey left the room. Once out of the room, Jack kissed Audrey passionately. Jack found the bottom of her shirt and lifted it above her head. He picked her up and carried her to their bedroom where they made love.

"I'm so glad Kyle doesn't cry very much," Jack said after they had finished making love.

"Me too," said Audrey. They fell asleep together happily .


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! Did anyone else notice that on IMDB that the 24 movie that originally had a (2012) next to it now says (2013)? Grrr. Anyway reviews appreciated!_

Chapter 24

At Christmas, Kyle was spoiled by his parents, his sister, and his grandfather. He got all kinds of toys. He was now six months old. Teri and Haley were also spoiled at Christmas. Teri got a bike and couldn't wait to ride it.

"Let's go outside," Teri said excitedly to everyone in the room after the presents were opened.

"It's snowing outside," Kim said.

"Please," Teri begged.

"Teaching you how to ride a bike isn't going to be any easier in the snow," Steven said.

"Yes huh because then when I fall I'll fall into the snow," Teri said, "Grandpa, will you take me outside and teach me?"

"Your mother said no," said Jack.

"But, you could say yes," Teri whispered.

Jack smiled but shook his head. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Audrey and her father were busy making dinner in the kitchen.

"You now you didn't have to spend so much on him," Audrey said in regards to the number of presents James had bought for Kyle that obviously would have cost him a lot of money.

"He's my grandson. I had to," James said.

"Well, you set the standards way to high for me," Audrey teased.

"I'm sorry," said James sounding sincere.

"I was joking," Audrey said. James smiled and got plates out to set the table for Audrey. Once the food was served everybody sat down at the table for dinner. Jack fed Kyle some pureed food that he seemed to like. Everyone laughed as he made a funny face at a bite of pureed squash. Jack went back to the other food he was feeding him, which Kyle liked a lot more than the squash.

After dinner, Kim, Steven, Teri, and Haley went home. James took Kyle upstairs to get him ready for bed for Jack and Audrey. Just as he got Kyle into his pajamas, Audrey walked in.

"He's all set," James said.

"Thanks," Audrey said taking Kyle from him, "So, is everything okay? You've seemed different lately."

"I'm fine," James said

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said unconvincingly. He kissed Kyle and then Audrey goodbye and left. Audrey couldn't help but feel like he wasn't telling her something. She put it out of her mind and put Kyle to bed.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: Here it is! enjoy!_

Chapter 25

The next day, Audrey's father came over again and Audrey refused to let him see Kyle unless he told her what was wrong.

"I've been trying to find the right time to tell you," James said.

"Tell me what?" asked Audrey.

"I have cancer," James said.

"What?" Audrey said, hoping she heard wrong.

"I'm sorry."

"What kind of treatment are you using?" asked Audrey.

"The doctors have tried everything, but we caught it too late," James explained.

"So," Audrey started now with tears in her eyes.

"I only have about six months left," James finished. Audrey refused to let her tears fall. She didn't think that would be fair seeing as how it was his life that was slowly dying not hers. She talked with him for a little while until he went to see Kyle. As soon as he left the room the tears fell and she couldn't stop them. Jack sat down next to her minutes later.

"What's wrong, Audrey?" he asked wrapping his arms around her.

She explained in between sobs and cried into Jack's shoulder. Jack held her tightly and eventually wiped away her tears when she was done crying. Just as he finished, James came back down carrying Kyle. He could tell Audrey had been crying but didn't say anything about it. He handed Kyle to Audrey and left shortly after that.

"How long has he known?" asked Jack.

"A couple months now," Audrey answered.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Jack said. Audrey smiled slightly at him to let him know she was okay. She put Kyle on the floor and let him attempt to crawl. He had been trying really hard to do it lately and Audrey was sure he would do it soon. She tried putting her father out of her mind and focused on Kyle crawling and Jack holding her hand.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: Thanks for bearing with my incredibly small chapters there for a while. Here's a much longer one! Enjoy& Review!_

Chapter 26

"How are you feeling?" asked Jack when Audrey joined him and Kyle downstairs that morning. She passed through the kitchen and grabbed the cup of coffee that Jack had made for her off the counter. She sat down next to Jack on the couch as close as she could get.

"I'm okay," Audrey said. She sipped her coffee and Jack waited for her to continue. Audrey could not get her thoughts away from her father. "I guess I just regret so many things I've said to him. Even though I know I was right about all of it."

"Like what?" Jack asked.

"Like when you were in China. I don't think a single day went by where we didn't have an argument," Audrey said, thinking of one in particular.

_It had been a long day and Audrey and her father had managed to get along. Audrey had been up late every night that week trying to find ways to get Jack out of China. She would do work with her father during the day and secretly look for Jack at night when her father had gone home. This time, however, it was getting late and James wasn't leaving. He knew what Audrey had been doing and refused to let her stay late again._

_ "You should go home and get some sleep," James suggested._

_ "I'm okay. I'll leave in a little while," Audrey responded._

_ "Really, we're almost done here and I can finish up," James insisted._

_ "Or, I could finish up and you could get some rest," Audrey said._

_ "Audrey, you've been working hard lately. You deserve a break. Go out with some friends. Do something," James said._

_ "I am doing something. I'm working," Audrey said._

_ "I meant something fun," James said, "When was the last time you did something fun?"_

_ "When I was with Jack," Audrey muttered under her breath. She knew it would start a fight but she wanted to tell the truth._

_ "Audrey, when are you going to get over him?" James asked._

_ "Never," Audrey said._

_ "Well get over it. Spending all your time looking for him is a mistake. You're not going to get him out! He's not worth what you're going through."_

_ "Yes he is! And, maybe I'd be able to get him out if you would just help me instead of being a horrible, overbearing father who thinks he knows what's best for me!" Audrey said._

_ "Even if you did get him out of China, what do you expect?" James asked, "You two are completely different people than before. I doubt that he even thinks about you anymore."_

_ Audrey swallowed the lump in her throat. What if he was right? Was she doing all of this for nothing? No, Jack was her everything. They belonged together._

_ "You're right. I do need a break. Which is why I'm going to China tomorrow," Audrey said._

_ "No you're not," said James._

_ "Yeah, I am. I got the ticket yesterday. I found the place where they're holding him and I'm going to get him out."_

_ "You can't go to China, by yourself, and expect to save him," James said._

_ "Then, help me," Audrey begged._

_ "You want me to help you save the man who's been putting you through so much pain? Forget it. Trust me, you'll be better off if he's dead," James said. He, then, felt a sharp pain as Audrey slapped him across the face._

_ "I hope I die. So, you can feel guilty for the rest of your life," Audrey said, before walking out of the room and heading home. The next day she left for China without a single goodbye._

"And he did," Audrey said.

"He did what?" Jack asked.

"Blamed himself for what happened to me," Audrey answered.

"No he didn't. He blamed me," Jack said.

"He blamed you so that he could take the blame off of himself," Audrey said.

"He would've even if you hadn't said that," Jack said.

"I know," Audrey said, "I think I'm going to go see him."

"Okay," Jack said, kissing her goodbye. Audrey picked up Kyle, kissed him on the cheek, and walked outside. She got into her car, happy that she now had her license renewed. She drove until she reached her father's house.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" James asked as he opened the door.

"I just thought we could talk," Audrey said, walking inside. She took a seat on the couch and James sat next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" asked Audrey.

"Just making sure," James said, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Audrey, then, apologized for every horrible thing she had ever said to him in her life that she could remember. Half way through she broke into tears, but refused to let her father interrupt her and tell her it was okay.

"Are you done, now?" James asked, when Audrey finally stopped talking. Audrey wiped away a tear and nodded. "Audrey, don't feel bad about those things. Some of them happened years ago and I don't even remember them. You're my daughter. If you didn't yell at me all the time it would mean I wasn't doing my job. I love you. And, it isn't like I haven't said some horrible things to you too."

Eventually, Audrey left and started to drive home. She felt better after their talk. But, as she drove she realized that it was becoming more real. Her father was going to die and she couldn't stop it. She started to cry again, but just as she was about to wipe away a tear she felt a sharp pain and then nothing at all. She looked around but couldn't see anything except the air bag before everything went dark.


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N: Hope there are still people reading this. If so, reviews are always appreciated._

Chapter 27

Jack couldn't even remember the ride to the hospital. When he got there he asked for Audrey's room and a nurse led him outside the room, which the doctor had instructed that nobody was allowed in yet. Audrey's father was already there and Jack sat next to him in the few chairs outside Audrey's room.

"What happened?" asked Jack trying to remember what the nurse who called said. As soon as he heard that Audrey was in the hospital he forgot to listen to the rest and just rushed to the hospital.

"She was in a car accident after leaving my house. I told the doctors not to tell me anything until you got here," James said.

"Well, where are they?" Jack asked getting very impatient.

"There in there with her now. Try to relax. They did tell me she's going to be okay," James said.

"That's what they always say," Jack said.

"Where's Kyle?" James asked, trying to calm Jack down.

"With Kim," Jack said simply. A doctor came out seconds later.

"Hi. I'm Doctor Nick Dalton," said the doctor, "But, you can just call me Nick."

"How is she?" asked Jack immediately.

"We'll start with the smaller stuff first. She has a broken arm, leg, and rib. Those will hurt, but they'll go away relatively quickly," said Nick.

"Relatively quickly to what?" Jack asked.

"She has a head injury which caused damage to the brain. She's in a coma and it's hard to say when she'll wake up."

"But, she will, right?" Jack asked.

"I'm not going to give you a one-hundred percent but yes I believe she will," Nick assured him, "However, there was serious injury to her brain which could mean she might not remember much when she wakes up. But, right now let's just focus on getting her to wake up."

"Can we go see her?" James asked.

"Go right ahead," Nick said. James walked into the room and Jack followed but gave a quick thank you to the doctor. James and Jack sat down in chairs next to Audrey's bed and Jack grabbed her hand. He kissed it softly and then put it back down.

"I'm going to call Kim," Jack said, "I'll be right back."

Jack left to call Kim and James took Audrey's hand. "Please wake up soon, sweetheart. Otherwise Jack is going to go crazy and I'm going to go crazy from watching him. But, just in case you're not awake for when it's my time to go, I want you to know just how much I love you. And, Kyle. And, hell, Jack's been growing on me too. You're the best daughter any man could ever ask for."

Jack walked back in and sat back down next to James. It was strange for them to be in the same room without Audrey starting a conversation for them.

"How long do you think it will take?" Jack asked.

"For her to wake up? I don't know. Hopefully, not long," James said. Jack looked at the clock on the wall. He had only been there for less than ten minutes and he was already being impatient.

"You should go home and be with Kyle," James said, "I can call you if anything changes."

"Thanks, but Kim said she can take care of him for a little while," Jack said.

"I just don't want you to miss out on anything. I know Kyle's been starting to crawl. You wouldn't want to miss that," James said.

"Neither does Audrey," Jack said, "I'd rather wait for her."

Later that night, Jack and James came to an agreement. They would take turns watching Kyle. Jack would pick him up and spend the night. In the morning, James would take over for the day. So, Jack kissed Audrey lightly on her forehead before going to Kim's to pick up Kyle. It was about eight o'clock and Kim opened the door and threw her arms around her father.

"How is she?" Kim asked.

"The doctor is sure she'll make it. But, she's in a coma right now," Jack said.

"Kyle is in the living room with Teri who refuses to go to bed," Kim said. Jack walked in and Teri was sitting on the ground with Kyle who was playing with a toy.

"Grandpa!" Teri said running to give him a hug.

"Hey, isn't it way past your bedtime?" Jack asked.

"No," Teri said, mischievously.

"Come on," Jack said, picking her up upside down and carrying her to her room. He put her down on the bed, carefully. She was smiling now.

"Will you read to me?" Teri asked.

"Honey, Grandpa is really tired and probably just want to get home," Stephen said walking into the room.

"Why are you so tired? Where's Audrey? Why didn't she come with you?" Teri asked.

"Good to see you, Jack," Stephen said.

"Thanks," Jack said, mostly for getting him out of answering all those questions but also for helping him get home sooner. He said his goodbyes and grabbed Kyle from downstairs. He made his way home.

When he got home he checked his phone to make sure Audrey's father hadn't called. He hadn't expected him to but was hoping he would. He put Kyle to bed and even though it was early Jack went to bed hoping morning would come a little faster. However, falling asleep wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. He couldn't stop thinking about Audrey. When he finally did fall asleep he was woken up shortly after from nightmares of Audrey never waking up. After waking up too many times, he went into Kyle's room. Apparently, Kyle hadn't gotten much sleep either. He was wide awake when Jack went in and Jack wondered how Audrey always seemed to know when Kyle was awake even when he wouldn't cry or make noise. Jack picked him up out of his crib and he squirmed to get down. Jack put him on the floor where he tried to crawl but still wasn't strong enough to do so. Jack sat on the floor with him.

"You're not allowed to crawl until mommy wakes up, got it?" Jack said. Kyle looked at him and smiled. Jack loved being with Kyle but couldn't wait until morning so he could be with Audrey again.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Voila! I have mid terms next week which means half days which means possibly more writing :) Enjoy!_

Chapter 28

A week later, Jack and Heller sat on opposite sides of Audrey. They were both falling asleep in their chairs waiting once again to see if Audrey would wake up. Jack couldn't wait to see Audrey's face when she saw Kyle crawling around. Jack held Audrey's hand as his blinks got longer and longer.

After what seemed like seconds, but was actually a couple hours, Jack woke up suddenly. His chair squeaked which was enough to wake Heller up.

"Audrey just squeezed my hand," Jack said.

"Are you sure?" Heller asked.

"I'm pretty sure. But, I was sleeping so I could have just dreamt it," Jack explained. Right then, a nurse came in to check on Audrey. Jack told her about what had happened.

"Well, it's definitely a possibility. But, it still could take another couple days before she wakes up. But some progress is better than none," the nurse explained. The nurse finished what she was doing and left. Jack looked at the time.

"I have to go pick up Kyle," Jack said, "Call me if anything else happens."

"Okay," Heller said.

"Anything new?" asked Kim when Jack arrived like she always would.

"I think she squeezed my hand," Jack said.

"That's great!" Kim said, "So she'll be waking up soon, right?"

"The nurse said that it might take a little while longer before she actually wakes up," Jack said. He sat on the couch and watched Kyle crawl as fast as he possibly could across the floor. "You know, I could watch Teri and Haley for a while if you want a break."

"Please mom," Teri said, running into the room after listening to their conversation. She threw herself on Jack's lap. "I haven't seen Grandpa in forever."

"Okay," Kim said, "Just call me if you feel overwhelmed."

"Sure," Jack said. Teri jumped off his lap and Jack picked Kyle up off the floor. Jack, Teri, Haley, and Kyle got loaded into the car.

"Grandpa, where's Audrey been?" Teri asked.

"She's been at the hospital," Jack said.

"Why? Is she sick?" Teri asked.

"Kind of. She was hurt in a car accident," Jack explained.

"Oh. We should go see her!" Teri said.

"Maybe sometime soon, but not today," Jack said, "So, if I remember correctly, someone has a birthday coming up."

"Me! I do!" Teri said.

"And, what do you want?" Jack asked.

"First, I want Audrey to feel better. And, a dollhouse would be nice too." Teri said. Jack smiled thinking back to a few years before.

_Jack and Audrey were watching a movie on the couch. Jack was too busy trying to think of what he could get Audrey for her birthday that weekend to pay attention. About half way through the movie, Jack sighed promising himself to think about it again tomorrow._

_ "Don't like it?" Audrey asked._

_ "What?" Jack asked._

_ "The movie," Audrey replied._

_ "Oh. No, I wasn't really paying attention," Jack said._

_ "What's wrong then?" asked Audrey._

_ "I've been trying to figure it out on my own, but what do you want for your birthday?" Jack asked._

_ Audrey laughed and kissed Jack softly, "I want you to watch a romantic movie with me. Or, since you probably won't do that, a necklace would be nice."_

_ "A necklace it is," Jack said._


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: Enjoy! I'd love to know what you think._

Chapter 29

"What are you doing, Teri?" asked Jack carrying lunch for them. Teri picked up her sandwich and started eating it.

"I'm making Audrey a get well soon card," Teri said. Jack smiled as Teri went back to coloring. He sure hoped Audrey would be better soon. After eating his lunch, he dropped Teri and Haley off at Kim's and then called Audrey's father to see if there was any change.

"No, Jack. I told you I'd call you if there was," Heller said.

"I know I'm just worried about her," Jack said, quietly.

"So am I. But, the doctors don't seem to think there's any reason to doubt that she'll wake up," Heller said, "If you want to come back here I can watch Kyle tonight."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Jack asked.

"Of course not. I'll be there soon," Heller said. As soon as Heller arrived at the house, Jack went to the hospital. He placed the card Teri made for Audrey on the table with flowers that he replaced every day. He didn't think they would help but he knew they wouldn't hurt. Jack sat down next to Audrey again and put his hand back in hers just hoping she would squeeze it again.

"Hey," Jack said. He hadn't talked to Audrey much in her coma. He didn't know what to say. "I was going to wait until you were awake to tell you this, just in case you can hear me, but Kyle can crawl. He likes to go fast. I taped it for you. You need to wake up soon. Because Kyle needs you. And, I need you. I hate not waking up to you in the morning and I hate not getting to talk to you or asking you questions about how to take care of Kyle so that I don't screw up. Maybe I was dreaming before, but I really hope not."

Jack waited for something. Anything to show him that she was okay. But, nothing came. Jack closed his eyes and laid his head down next to their hands making sure to hold onto hers just in case. After a while, Jack felt it again. Another squeeze. Jack was sure of it this time. He called Heller to tell him and then told the doctor who came in minutes later.

"Two in a day is a good sign, Jack," Dr. Dalton said.

"So, she'll wake up soon?" Jack asked.

"If I'm being optimistic, I'd say a day. But, don't be surprised if it is a little while longer than that."

Jack stayed with Audrey overnight and all day the next day. He wanted to see Kyle again but refused to miss Audrey waking up. By the end of the night, Audrey still hadn't woken up. Jack was getting frustrated. The next afternoon, Jack went to get something to eat. He bought a donut and brought it back to Audrey's room.

"If you wake up, I'll give you this donut," Jack bribed. Audrey didn't respond. Jack took a bite. "It's really good."

Jack finished the donut angry that Audrey didn't wake up. Jack looked at the clock. He had been there for almost a day and a half. He decided he take over watching Kyle for a while. Just as he started to turn away after kissing Audrey goodbye, he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back at Audrey who was staring at him confused. He smiled at the sight of the beautiful green eyes that he hadn't seen in weeks. He walked back to the chair and sat down. He was shocked that she woke up even though he knew she was supposed to sometime in the next couple days.

"Hey," Jack said softly.

"Where am I?" asked Audrey.

"The hospital," Jack replied.

"You don't look like a doctor," Audrey said. Jack felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. She didn't remember him.


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: Two in one day. I feel kinda bad that i did nothing with my day except write. Probably should have studied for history...review appreciated._

Chapter 30

_"Audrey, it's alright, you're safe," Jack said._

_ "Please don't let them do this to me," Audrey replied, looking around confused._

_ "Audrey," Jack said, realizing something was wrong._

_ "Help me, Jack. Don't-" Audrey started._

_ "Audrey," Jack said, now raising his voice to get her attention. Audrey looked at him blankly. Jack spoke again, softly this time, "It's me. I'm right here."_

_ Audrey continued to look at him and Jack's eyes widened. Jack said, "Do you even know who I am?"_

_ "Sit her down," said one of the men around them._

_ "Audrey," Jack said, begging her to remember. _

Jack didn't know what to do. At first he just stared in shock. When it sank in, he pressed the call button on the edge of the bed for a doctor.

"What happened to me? Who are you?" Audrey asked.

"Hi, Audrey," Dr. Dalton said walking into the room before Jack could respond.

"Who's he?" She asked Jack.

"My name is Doctor Dalton," the doctor said.

"Why can't she remember anything?" Jack demanded.

"Audrey, can you tell me when your birthday is?" Dalton asked.

"Um, no," Audrey replied now getting worried.

"What about your name?" Asked Dalton.

"Audrey," she replied.

"What about your last name?" He asked knowing she only knew from him saying it earlier.

"I-I don't know," Audrey said.

"That's okay. We're going to help you remember," Dr. Dalton ensured, "But, first, Jack and I are going to go outside and talk for a minute."

"Jack?" Audrey asked.

"You remember him?" Dalton asked.

"Not your face but Jack is someone really special to me," Audrey said.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack asked, once they were out of the room.

"I mentioned that she had a head injury. This could be causing her to forget things."

"But, she remembered me," Jack said.

"Yes, a lot of times, people will forget faces but recognize names that are important to them," Dalton replied.

"I have to call her father," Jack said. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Is everything okay?" Heller asked.

"Audrey's up," Jack said.

"That's great," Heller said.

"She doesn't remember anything," Jack said.

"About the accident?" asked Heller.

"About anything," Jack said, "You can drop Kyle off at Kim's."

He hung up quickly. And, went back into Audrey's room where Dr. Dalton was talking to her about her temporary memory loss.

"How long until I get it back?" She asked.

"It will take some time," Dr. Dalton said.

"But, Jack, your father, and I will be doing everything we can to help you," Dalton said. Jack and Dr. Dalton waited for Heller to show up before trying to see how much Audrey could remember. Once he was there, they went back into the room.

"Audrey, this is your father," Dalton said.

"Do you remember him? James Heller?" Dalton asked.

"No," Audrey said sadly, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Heller told her.

"Let's start with your name," Dalton said.

"Heller," Audrey said, remembering from when Dalton said her father's name.

"Actually, no. Nice try though," Dalton said, "You got married, so your name changed."

"I don't remember. I don't even remember getting married," Audrey said, "Sorry, Jack."

"We're not married, baby," Jack said.

"Oh," Audrey said.

"It's Raines," Dalton said, trying to keep her from being discouraged.

"Audrey Raines," Audrey said, "That should ring a bell, shouldn't it?"

"How about this, you tell us what you can remember about your life. Anything at all," Dalton said.

"I'm tired," Audrey said.

"Alright, you get some sleep. When you wake up we can try again if you feel up to it."

"Thanks," Audrey said. Dr. Dalton left the room. Jack and Heller started to follow but Audrey called them back.

"How long have I been here for?" Audrey asked.

"A week and a little more," Heller responded.

"Have you guys visited me?"

"Of course," Jack said.

"Thank you," Audrey said. She drifted off to sleep and Jack and Heller left the room.

"If you guys could bring in pictures of the big parts of her life that would be a huge help. It could spark a memory that was sitting in the back of her mind," Dalton told them.

The next day, Jack and Heller came to the hospital with boxes full of pictures. Dalton gave them a nod as they walked into the room. They set the pictures down next to him and took their places next to Audrey.

"These flowers," Audrey said pointing to the table next to her, "They're beautiful. They're tulips, right?"

"Yeah, they're your favorites," Jack said.

"And who is this card from?" Audrey asked.

"That's from my granddaughter, Teri," Jack said. He reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a picture. He handed it to her.

"She's beautiful," Audrey said after looking at the picture of Teri.

"Let's start from your childhood. We're going to have you look at some of these pictures that your father brought and you tell me what you can remember from them," Dalton said.

Audrey took the photo album from her father. She flipped through the pages making sure to ask questions along the way. She learned that she grew up in New York and moved to D.C. after college. She learned that her mother died when she was nine and that she had a younger brother. None of it sparked her memory. After that photo album, Audrey was exhausted and just wanted to sleep again. They agreed to leave her alone until the next day.


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: Enjoy and pretty please review!_

Chapter 31

"This is so frustrating!" Audrey exclaimed, as the doctor, Jack, and Heller told her more about her life.

"I know, Audrey, but things will start coming back. It just takes some time," Dr. Dalton said.

"Okay, so if I married this Paul guy then where the hell is he?" asked Audrey.

"He died," Heller said.

"When? Recently?" Audrey asked.

"A while ago," Heller answered.

"I'm done for today," Audrey said, angry with herself for all the things she couldn't remember. The men started to walk out but Audrey called Jack back.

"What?" asked Jack.

"Tell me about us," Audrey said.

"What about us?" Jack asked.

"Everything," Audrey said.

"Okay," Jack started, "well, we started dating a little while after you and Paul separated. Then, six months later, we broke up and I had to fake my death."

"Wait a second," Audrey said, "You are obviously leaving out some important details."

"Okay, the day we broke up-well, technically you broke up with me- I saved your life, interrogated your husband, raided the Chinese embassy, and then ended up being the reason your husband died. After you broke up with me, I had to fake my death because of the attack on the Chinese. Then I came back a year and a half later. We finally think we're going to be happy, but of course, the Chinese kidnap me and take me to China. You went looking for me but got captured. I came back to the U.S. I heard that you were dead but then found out that the Chinese still had you. I got you back and then left you because I thought you'd be safer."

"Wow. And, now?" Audrey asked.

"Well, we found each other in D.C. and got back together. And, we have a son, Kyle," Jack said, wondering whether or not he should have told her that seeing as how angry she had been earlier with herself.

"I don't remember him," Audrey said, "What kind of mom doesn't even remember her own son?"

"It's not your fault," Jack said. Audrey started to cry and Jack tried to wipe away the tears.

"What if I never remember?" Audrey said.

"You will. I know you will," Jack said.

"You should probably go be with him," Audrey said.

"Kim has him right now so I can stay if you want me to," Jack said.

"Who's Kim?" Audrey asked.

"My daughter," Jack said.

"You should go," Audrey said.

"Okay," Jack said, wiping away one more tear before standing up.

"Jack, will you bring him here? Maybe holding him will help me remember," Audrey said.

"If Dr. Dalton is okay with it I will," Jack said. He left her room and asked the doctor who said that it would be fine.

Jack got to Kim's house and tried to explain to Kim what was going on quietly enough so Teri, who was trying to eavesdrop, couldn't hear. Then he picked up Kyle and drove back to the hospital. He carried him into the room and Audrey smiled.

"Audrey, this is Kyle," Jack said, putting Kyle into her arms. Kyle was squirming. He hated being held now that he could crawl. "I took some videos for you."

"He's so adorable," Audrey said as Kyle just looked at her reached for her hair to play with.

"Are you remembering anything?" Jack asked.

"No, but something feels right about holding him," Audrey said.

"That's good," Jack said.

"Oh, I meant to ask you this earlier, have my favorite flowers always been tulips? Because I get the feeling that you had something to do with that."

"You never really had a favorite kind of flower until we went to this café with tulips all over the place. You've loved them ever since," Jack said.

_It was late Saturday morning and Jack woke up to Audrey sleeping with her head resting on his chest. Jack's arm was wrapped around her protectively keeping her as close as he possibly could. Jack looked at the clock and then kissed Audrey's head. Audrey opened her eyes slightly but forced them shut again._

_ "It's already eleven," Jack said._

_ "So? It's the weekend," Audrey said, snuggling closer to him._

_ "Come on. Let's go get something to eat," Jack said._

_ "Fine," Audrey said, sitting up. She leaned over and kissed Jack once more before getting up. They got dressed and started walking down the street._

_ "Where do you want to go?" Audrey asked._

_ "I don't know," Jack replied. They walked for an hour before they stopped._

_ "How about here?" Audrey asked, realizing they had spent an hour just walking hand in hand._

_ "Sure," Jack said. They walked into the café and it was beautiful. It was small and elegant. On every table there were tulips of all different colors. The food was amazing too and it automatically became Audrey's favorite place for lunch. Jack and Audrey would go there every Saturday after that._

"I remember it," Audrey said.

"You do?" Jack asked.

"Now I do, yeah," Audrey said, excitedly. "It's not like before when you guys told me stuff and I'd remember what you said. I actually remember that day."

"That's great, baby," Jack said. Audrey moved over on the bed to let Jack sit with her. She held onto Kyle with one arm and brought Jack's head down to hers with the other to kiss him.

"Better than the kiss I remember," Audrey said.


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Sorry, i've been doing some reading instead of writing. Hope you enjoy. Let me know!_

Chapter 32

"She remembered," Jack said when he stepped into the hall and saw Dr. Dalton.

"What did she remember?" asked the doctor.

"Um, it was just one of our dates. But, she remembered it once I mentioned it," Jack said.

"Good. And, what about holding Kyle? Did she remember him?" Dalton asked.

"No," Jack said, "but she said it felt right. I think it's kind of like when she recognized my name."

"Okay," Dalton said, "I'll work with her once you leave."

"I just have to get Kyle," Jack said turning back into the room. Dalton followed behind and took a seat in one of the chairs. Audrey looked sad as Jack took Kyle away. He kissed her goodbye and promised that they'd be back tomorrow.

"Okay, Audrey, are you ready?" Dr. Dalton asked.

"For what?" Audrey asked, nervously.

"We're going to try and get you to remember some more," Dalton said.

"Please, haven't I done enough of that today?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, which is why it's the perfect time. Jack told me that you remembered one of your dates together which means that right now is the best time for you to start remembering things because that part of your brain is already running."

"Okay," Audrey said.

"Why don't you tell me about that date? That way you're using that part of your brain again," the doctor suggested. Audrey told him about the date making sure to include every detail she could remember.

"Good, now, let's stay on a similar category. Tell me another date or another memory you've had with Jack," Dalton said.

"I don't remember any," Audrey said immediately.

"You didn't even try," Dalton replied. Audrey thought for a minute trying to think of anything.

"I just don't know," Audrey said.

"Think harder," Dalton pushed.

"I'm trying!" Audrey said raising her voice.

"Tell me anything!" Dalton begs raising his voice to match hers knowing that if he pushed her hard enough she'd remember something.

_"Dammit, Audrey, tell me the truth!" Jack screamed, pushing her against the wall with his hand tight around her neck._

_ Audrey couldn't breath but tried to talk, "I am telling you the truth."_

_ Audrey could barely hear what he said next as she tried to breath. She tried to tell him to stop but nothing came out. She heard him demand the truth again and he loosened his grip enough for her to speak. She insisted that she was. Jack let her go and looked down._

"You remembered something," Dalton said noticing the look on her face.

"He-he interrogated me," Audrey said surprised. She couldn't remember why. She figured there had to have been a sound reason for him to that but she couldn't remember. She felt disgusted that he could do that to anyone. Then a wave of a horrible image of Jack flew threw her head. Him interrogating her husband. She remembered feeling sick. Feeling as though she had fallen in love with a monster. The only thing she couldn't remember about that day was when he had died and she had ultimately forgiven him for his actions just a little too late.

"How did we get back together? After the way I felt about him?" Audrey asked.

"From what he tells me, you forgave him and realized everything he did that day was for the greater good," Dr. Dalton answered.

"Yeah, remembering that day, I know that everything he did saved a lot of people. But, I was obviously not able to understand that back then. How did I forgive him if I didn't understand?"

"You'll have to ask Jack about that," Dr. Dalton said, "He might know more than I do."

"Are we done? I'm exhausted," Audrey said, trying for the first time to tuck away those memories. She didn't want to remember herself as unforgiving and not understanding. She couldn't believe Jack had forgiven her. After the way she just ended things that day, he should've hated her.

"Yes, we're done."

Audrey closed her eyes trying to think of holding Kyle and kissing Jack. She managed to hid the memories enough to fall asleep.


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: Enjoy and Review._

Chapter 33

"How'd it go last night?" Jack asked carrying Kyle with one arm.

"Well, she remembered something," Dalton said, "Unfortunately, I think it made her more confused."

"What did she remember?" asked Jack, hoping it wasn't about China. It was too soon to explain all of that to her.

"Something about you interrogating her," Dalton said. Jack looked down. He nodded thanks to Dr. Dalton and went into the room.

"Hey," Jack said cautiously.

"Hi," Audrey said softly. Jack walked closer and Audrey reached out for Kyle. Jack gave him to her. He sat in the seat next to the bed feeling the tension between him and Audrey.

"I'm sorry," Jack said. He started again when she looked up at him, "Dr. Dalton told me what you remembered last night and I want you to know I'm sorry. There was more to it than what you probably remember but I never wanted to-"

"Jack," Audrey cut in, "It's okay. Look I'm really confused about everything I remembered. I just need a little time to sort it all out."

"What do you mean by everything you remembered? It was more than just the interrogation?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said, "Look I'm not mad or anything. I'm just confused about how we got here without hating each other."

"What else did you remember?" Jack asked.

"The day you interrogated Paul," Audrey said.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, feeling as though he would always be apologizing to her for that day.

"I know why you did it. I just don't understand how I didn't understand back then," Audrey said, "Jack, I really just want some time alone to try and understand."

"Okay," Jack said. He picked up Kyle out of her hands and made sure to squeeze one of them before leaving.

When Jack walked into the hall Dr. Dalton was on the phone. Jack waited a minute until Dalton hung up.

"How did things go?" asked Dalton.

"Okay. She just wants some time alone. To figure some stuff out," Jack said.

"In her file it says that she used to speak with a psychologist, is that true?" Dalton asked.

"Dr. Harris," Jack said.

"Do you think it might help if she spoke to Dr. Harris again? Maybe Dr. Harris can tell Audrey how she felt about certain things. She might be able to explain the things that Audrey is so confused about," Dalton suggested.

"Maybe," Jack said, "It's worth a shot."

"I'll call her and see if she can come in tomorrow," Dalton said. Dalton moved on to his next patient and Jack left.

Audrey jumped when the door to her room opened. It was her dad. Audrey tried her best to smile at him.

"What's wrong?" James asked, seeing right through her façade.

"Just confused about a lot of things," Audrey said. She didn't elaborate. She just wanted him to drop it.

"Oh," James said. He knew she didn't want to talk about it and didn't know how to respond.

"Something's wrong, right?" Audrey asked.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"With you. I just know something isn't right," Audrey said.

"I don't think this is the best time to talk about it," James said, knowing she was talking about the cancer.

"Please," Audrey begged.

"Audrey," James said, "I don't know how much longer I'm going to live."

"What?" Audrey asked. She could feel tears running down her face. She barely remembered him except for from that day they were kidnapped, but she knew didn't want him to die.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," James said, moving onto the bed.

"I'm sorry," Audrey said. What if he died without her knowing who he was? She felt horrible. Horrible that he was going to die. Horrible that she wouldn't remember him until after he was dead, probably. And, horrible that he was spending his last however many days, weeks, or months waiting for her to remember him. She cried hoping that some memory of him might come back.

_A/N: Thanks lornajoe for reviewing last chapter! bringing dr. harris back was one of the ideas i had for this story but i just couldn't decide whether or not i should. So thanks._


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Here ya go! Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 34

"Hi, Audrey," Dr. Harris said the next afternoon walking into Audrey's room.

"Um, hi," Audrey said simply.

"Do you know who I am?" Dr. Harris asked.

"I'm sorry. No," Audrey said.

"It's okay. My name is Dr. Harris. I'm a psychologist and you used to be one of my patients," Dr. Harris told her.

"Oh," Audrey said, "Why did I need a psychologist?"

"You were going through a hard time," Dr. Harris said, unsure of how much she should tell her. She knew it would be better for Audrey to remember why on her own.

"Okay," Audrey said, "So, why are you here?"

"Well, Dr. Dalton says that you've been confused about some things that you remembered from your past. I thought maybe I could answer some of your questions based on what you told me when you were my patient."

"It can't hurt," Audrey said.

"Alright, so first, tell me what you remember," Dr. Harris suggested. Audrey told her about the interrogation and how it brought on memories of the day Paul died.

"Okay, what are your questions?" Dr. Harris asked.

"First, was I really going to leave Jack for Paul? And, if so, why? I mean I knew how much I loved Jack," Audrey said.

Dr. Harris stopped her before she could ask too many questions, "Okay, I can't be sure about you leaving Jack for Paul. But, I do know that at the time you couldn't see how Jack's actions could be anything but evil. From what I know, you were running to something familiar. Paul. I think you still cared about him even though you were truly in love with Jack."

"How did he forgive me?" Audrey asked.

"Well, he never blamed you. He blamed himself for letting himself get too close to that kind of work again," Dr. Harris said.

"And, what about the interrogation I remembered? What was that about?" Audrey asked.

"That was the day you found out Jack was alive. A woman said that you gave her information and since that was their only lead to the terrorist attacks that day, they had to interrogate you. Jack did it because he didn't want you to be medically interrogated."

"He pushed me against the wall and choked me," Audrey said.

"He didn't want CTU to think he was going easy on you," Dr. Harris explained. There was a knock on the door. Jack walked in.

"Sorry, I'll come back later," Jack said seeing Dr. Harris.

"No please don't go," Audrey said as Jack turned around, "Dr. Harris, I don't have any other questions right now."

"Okay, if you think of any give me a call," Dr. Harris said putting her card on the table next to Audrey.

"Thank you for your help," Audrey said. Dr. Harris left leaving Jack and Audrey alone.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Audrey said, moving over on the bed hoping Jack would sit with her. Jack immediately moved onto the bed and took her hand.

"It's okay," Jack said, "Our relationship isn't the easiest thing to understand."

"Well, I'm sorry. For breaking up with you after that day you had to disappear," Audrey said.

"I know," Jack said smiling. Audrey had apologized for that so many times.

"Where's Kyle?" Audrey asked.

"Your father is watching him," Jack said.

"My dad is dying," Audrey said.

"Yeah," Jack said, "He has a couple more months."

"It's just it must suck having to spend the last couple months of your life waiting at the hospital to see if your daughter remembers you."

"Well, I think he's okay with that. He's been getting to spend more time with Kyle. And, he was going to spend his time fussing over you anyways," Jack said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"What if I don't remember him by the time he dies?" Audrey asked.

"You will," Jack said. He didn't let her argue. Instead he leaned down and kissed her as passionately as possible. When Jack finally pulled away Audrey took his hand and kissed it gently. She promised herself she'd never let go.


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N: Hope people are still enjoying the story. _

Chapter 35

Audrey couldn't help but smile when she saw her father come into the room with Kyle. She squeezed Jack's hand one more time before letting it go to hold Kyle. She couldn't wait to go home to see him do something other than stare at her and pull her hair.

"Do you think I'll be able to go home soon?" Audrey asked Jack and Heller.

"Maybe," They said simultaneously.

"I think the doctor wanted you to stay here until you got your memory back. But, it can't hurt to ask," Jack said. When Dr. Dalton came into the room later that day they asked him if that would be okay.

"Sure," he said reluctantly. "But, you need to come back once, maybe even twice, a day just to check up."

"Yeah that's fine," Audrey said, excitedly.

"Hopefully getting back into a regular routine will bring back some memories," Dalton said. When Audrey was finally released, she could barely keep herself from running to Jack's car. Jack took Kyle from her to put him in his car seat. Jack got in and started the car. Audrey couldn't help but notice that Jack was driving tremendously slow.

"I could be wrong, but isn't the point of driving getting to where you're going faster than if you were to walk?" Audrey asked.

Jack smiled at her, "I'm just being cautious."

"Yeah fifteen miles an hour cautious," Audrey grumbled.

When Jack finally got them home, Audrey ran out of the car. Jack grabbed Kyle out of his car seat and walked to the door after throwing Audrey the key. When he walked to the door he didn't see Audrey. He shut the door behind him and saw Audrey looking at their home. It was as if she were amazed by everything she saw and touched. Then he saw her start to move towards the stairs. He followed her as she went. She stopped and looked in Kyle's room first before going to hers and Jack's room.

"Do you remember any of it?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Yes," Audrey said, "You moved in here after we had been dating for only four months."

"Yeah," Jack said.

"Wasn't that a little early?" Audrey asked.

"Yes," Jack said walking closer to her. He set Kyle on the floor and kissed Audrey gently. Audrey still couldn't understand how she had let someone who she had barely known move in with her. But, she accepted the kiss and returned it happy that she had let him move in all that time ago.

Once she helped Jack get Kyle ready for bed, Audrey and Jack sat on the couch together. Audrey was starting to fall asleep as Jack ran his fingers through her hair.

"_I wish you could do this every night," Audrey said as Jack ran his fingers through her hair._

_ "Well I could," Jack said._

_ "Yeah, but if you spent every night here, you would always have to get up really early to get ready for work," Audrey said._

_ "I wouldn't mind," Jack said._

_ "Or," Audrey said not even knowing herself where she was heading with this, "You could always bring your stuff here."_

_ Jack couldn't tell if she was asking him to move in with her or if she just meant that he should bring some of his things so he wouldn't have to go back so often. "What do you mean?"_

_ Audrey shrugged, "You could bring your things here and then never have to go back to your apartment."_

_ "All my things?" Jack asked making sure he understood._

_ Audrey shrugged sensing that maybe that wasn't what he wanted, "Never mind."_

_ "Is that what you meant?" Jack asked ignoring the never mind._

_ "Yes," Audrey said, "But, it's fine if you don't want to. Just pretend I never said anything."_

_ "Okay," Jack said._

_ "Okay," Audrey replied._

_ "No," Jack said clarifying. "I meant okay, I'll move in."_

_ Audrey smiled and turned over to kiss him._

Audrey smiled which didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

"What's that smile for?" Jack asked.

"I remembered when I asked you to move in," Audrey said.

"That's great," Jack said.

"Jack," Audrey said. "Can you take me to see Dr. Harris tomorrow?"

"Of course," Jack said, "How about after we check in with Dr. Dalton?"

"Okay," Audrey said.


	36. Chapter 36

_A/N: Enjoy everybody who is still reading!_

Chapter 36

"Audrey, Jack, it's so good to see you," Dr. Harris said, as Jack lead Audrey to her office. Jack and Audrey said hello and then Jack left to wait in the car.

"So, how are you Audrey?" asked Dr. Harris.

"I'm doing much better. Dr. Dalton let me leave yesterday and I keep remembering things too," Audrey said.

"Well that's great," Dr. Harris said. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah," Audrey said. "Why would I have let Jack move in with me after dating him for only a couple months?"

"Do you think you shouldn't have?" Dr. Harris asked.

"Well, I was married and we barely knew each other if we had only been dating for four months," Audrey said.

"I think you knew by that point that things were over between you and Paul. As for you and Jack, I think you subconsciously were already falling in love with him," Dr. Harris said.

"A while ago, Jack told me about some things happening with China," Audrey said. "What was he talking about?"

"I'm not going to give you any details. In fact, I don't really know any details because you never talked to me about it. But, basically, the Chinese kidnapped Jack and you refused to leave him there. You tried doing things from the U.S. at first but nothing was working so you decided to take a trip to China. The Chinese captured you and you were saved by Jack."

"I guess I'm just going to have to remember on my own," Audrey said, not remembering any of that.

"And, you will I promise. But, I don't know if you'll want to," Dr. Harris pointed out.

"Thanks, Dr. Harris."

"Anytime."

Audrey walked out the office and through the waiting room. When she got outside and walked out to the car she was flooded with some memories of her and Jack. Jack had surprised her by showing up unexpectedly after one of her meetings with Dr. Harris. Audrey remembered it perfectly. Their first date in years. Jack scaring her the very next day. Them visiting their house. Audrey hoped for more, but nothing else came. Audrey sighed relieved yet disappointed that she only remembered that much. She opened the car door and Jack drove them to Kim's to pick up Kyle.

"Why don't you wait here?" Jack suggested, figuring that Teri would want to see Audrey but Audrey wouldn't remember her.

"How come?" Audrey asked.

"Teri would want to see you but would also be really upset if you didn't remember her," Jack said.

"Where was she this morning when we dropped Kyle off?" Audrey asked.

"At school," Jack said. Audrey agreed to stay in the car and Jack went to get Kyle. Once he got Kyle and the three of them went home.

When they got home, Jack watched as Audrey sat on the floor to play with Kyle. He loved how much she smiled around Kyle even though she didn't really remember him. After a little while of just watching Audrey and Kyle, Jack sat on the floor next to Audrey and kissed her softly before turning his attention to Kyle.

By the end of the week, Audrey had remembered many things. Most of her memories were ones of Jack. Their relationship was finally starting to make sense to her. She was also remembering parts of her childhood. She remembered her father, Kim, Stephen, and Teri.

Dr. Dalton couldn't believe the success she'd had. He cut down her check ups to every other day. Audrey got into the car after Dr. Dalton had cancelled her appointments.

"How long do you think it will take before I can stop going there completely?" Audrey asked Jack excitedly.

"At this rate, not very long," Jack said.

"Jack, do you think I could spend the day with my dad?" Audrey asked.

"Of course," Jack said.

"It's not fair," Audrey said. "I was either going to remember him after he died which I was going to feel horrible about or I was going to remember him before he died and still feel horrible."

Jack reached over and grabbed Audrey's hand. He kissed it gently, not knowing what to say. He pulled up to Heller's house and dropped Audrey off. Jack pulled out of the driveway and drove to Kim's house to pick up Kyle. Then, Jack drove until they reached a small store. Jack took Kyle out of the car and took him inside.

"Okay, we're going to find a ring for your mom," Jack said to Kyle. Kyle was smiling and Jack walked up to one of the counters.

"Can I help you find anything?" the sales woman asked.

"I'm looking for an engagement ring," Jack said. The woman pulled out two trays of engagement rings.

"Alright, buddy, help me pick one out," Jack said to Kyle. Jack looked down at the rings and Kyle stared at them amazed by how shiny they were. Jack eventually chose three to pick from but couldn't decide. Kyle reached out and grabbed one of them and Jack decided to go with that one.

Audrey and her father spent hours talking to each other. Heller was impressed by how much Audrey had remembered in a week. They were going through the photo albums and Audrey remembered most of the events from the pictures.

"What's that one?" Audrey asked, referring to a beautiful white photo album.

"Your wedding," Heller said.

"I don't remember Paul much. Just the day he died," Audrey said, picking up the album.

"That could be a blessing," Heller told her, remembering how he never really cared for Paul. He thought Audrey could do a lot better.

Audrey flipped through the pages trying to remember that part of her life. When she finished, she set the album down.

"Why did Paul and I separate?" Audrey asked.

"He was always working and could never find any time for you," Heller said.

"Did you want me to stay with him?" Audrey asked.

"Yes and no. I wanted you two to work things out because I didn't want you to feel as though you wasted a large part of your life. But, he didn't deserve you."

"Are you happy with me and Jack being together?" Audrey asked. "Now I mean. I know you weren't happy about it when we first got back together."

"Yes, now I'm okay with it," Heller said. A couple minutes later, Jack walked in carrying Kyle. Jack gave Kyle to Heller and then took a seat next to Audrey.

"What did you do today?" Audrey asked Jack.

"Not much," Jack said, hardly able to keep a straight face. He would ask her soon enough.


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: Enjoy!_

Chapter 37

Jack drove them home and they reached a red light. Audrey's hand flicked to her head as if she were in pain. She looked as though she were in pain but then realized she wasn't. She put her hand back down.

"That's why you've been such a slow driver," Audrey said, remembering the accident.

"Is this where it happened?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said. "I guess so. What happened to the other guy? The one who was driving the other car?"

"I don't know," Jack said.

"Well, anyways, please stop driving like an old lady," Audrey said.

Jack smiled. "I haven't been driving that slow. Just slow enough so that you don't get hurt again."

"Jack, you've been going half the speed limit every time we drive," Audrey said.

"No I haven't," Jack said defensively, "You just drive really fast."

"No I don't," Audrey said, smiling at how they were having a conversation that wasn't serious for once.

"Well, Kyle will be getting driving lessons from me," Jack said.

"No," Audrey said. "Yeah, actually, that may be better. As long as you drive like this and not like you did when you worked at CTU."

"Do you really think I'd let my son drive like that?" Jack asked. Audrey smiled and grabbed one of Jack's hands.

"I love you," Audrey said, realizing that it was the first time she'd said that since before she got into the car accident.

"I love you, too," Jack said, smiling. He glanced over at her briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. "So, Kim invited us over for dinner tonight if you want to go."

"Sure. Now that I remember them I won't feel bad," Audrey said.

When they got to Kim's house, Teri immediately ran into Audrey's legs for a hug. She was so happy to see her and couldn't stop asking questions. After Teri rambled off her questions quickly, Kim asked her for her help with dinner to give Audrey some space. Audrey put Kyle down next to Haley and Teri sat down next to her.

"So about my questions," Teri said.

"What were they again?" Audrey asked. "One at a time."

"First, did you get my card?" Teri asked.

"Yes, it was beautiful." Audrey said.

"Why wouldn't Grandpa let me visit you?" Teri asked.

"Because it wouldn't have been any fun. I had to stay in bed," Audrey said. "Happy belated Birthday by the way. What did you get?"

"Grandpa got me a doll house," Teri said. She then told Audrey all about her birthday and her presents.

In the kitchen, Jack talked with Kim while she made dinner. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he bought Audrey to show Kim.

"What do you think?" Jack asked.

"It's gorgeous. When are you going to ask her?" Kim asked, excitedly.

"Soon. Depending on how long it takes her to get the rest of her memory back, I might wait until then." Jack said.

"Dad, that's great congrats," Kim said, hugging Jack. When dinner finished, Jack, Audrey, and Kyle went home.

"Jack," Audrey said when they were lying in bed that night.

"Yeah," Jack said.

"When am I going to remember Kyle and everything else that I still don't remember?" Audrey asked.

"Soon," Jack said. "I'm sure it won't be much longer."

"I hope so," Audrey said. "I just want everything to be normal again."

"I know, sweetheart." Jack said, moving closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and Audrey put her head on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you too," Audrey said. Jack looked at Audrey whose eyes were now closed. He loved watching her sleep. She looked so angelic. He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. He promised himself that he would propose tomorrow.


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N: Sorry, it's a short one. Enjoy though!_

Chapter 38

"Where are we going?" Audrey asked.

"It's a surprise," Jack said.

"Can I have a hint?" Audrey asked.

"No," Jack said. "I'd just end up giving it away."

Audrey smiled and closed her eyes as Jack kept driving. When he stopped, they got out and Audrey was amazed. In front of them was a huge garden. Jack led her inside. There were all sorts of flowers and plants arranged perfectly.

"Do you remember this place?" Jack asked.

"Vaguely. You took me here once a long time ago," Audrey said, walking with Jack deeper into the garden.

"Yeah," Jack said. "It was about five months after we started dating."

"I think I remember you saying how it is almost as beautiful as I am," Audrey said, with a laugh.

"I did say that," Jack said. "But, that was wrong. You're so much prettier."

"You're so sweet," Audrey said, rolling her eyes. Jack sat her down on one of the marble benches in the center of the garden.

"And, right here," Jack said, indicating the spot they were in. "Was where I realized that I was going to fall madly in love with you."

"Really?" Audrey asked. "Then why didn't you say it back to me when I said I loved you?"

"A couple reasons," Jack explained. "First, you shocked me. Second, you were married. And, third, I had been trying to deny it because I didn't think it was okay to love you after Teri died. And, maybe I was trying to make you feel a little nervous that I wouldn't say it back."

"Well, it worked," Audrey said. She smiled which made Jack not able to wait any longer.

"Will you marry me?" Jack asked, showing her the ring.

"Of course!" Audrey said, excitedly. She moved closer to him and kissed him passionately.


	39. Chapter 39

_A/N: Another short one. Enjoy!_

Chapter 39

And, in an instance, Audrey was flooded with everything. It's as if Jack proposing switched on all the memories she'd ever had at once. As much as she knew this was good thing, it hurt her head to think that much. Her entire life was flashing before her eyes and she figured she must have been dying. It wasn't like this when other memories had come back. It usually was only a couple of seconds but this felt like hours.

"Audrey?" Jack asked, noticing that she seemed distracted. "Are you okay?"

Audrey didn't respond she was still living in this long flashback. Finally, it came to an abrupt stop when Audrey was at the hospital.

"Audrey, are you okay?" Jack asked, more persistently. His hands were on her shoulders as if he was going to shake her awake.

"I don't know," Audrey said, realizing that little time had passed. "Just too much at once."

"I'm not saying we have to get married right this second," Jack said, confused

"Oh, not that," Audrey said. "I just remembered everything."

"That's great, baby," Jack said.

"Maybe a little too much," Audrey said quietly.

It didn't go unnoticed by Jack who picked up her hand. "Come on. Let's go home."

Audrey took Kyle into her arms the second she got home. She was so happy to remember him.

"Good to see you too," Heller joked, watching Audrey say hello to only Kyle.

"Well, he is much cuter than you, dad," Audrey said.

"True," Heller said. "So, where'd you guys go?"

Audrey sat down next to him. "Well, we went to a garden and Jack asked me to marry him."

Heller congratulated them and Jack suggested that they have the wedding soon so that Heller could be a part of it. Audrey agreed. Heller took them out for a celebratory dinner.

The next day, Jack and Audrey told Kim and her family. They couldn't have been happier for them.

They spent the next couple weeks planning a small wedding. They invited Chloe and Morris and their son, Prescott. They came down early to catch up with them. It had been too long.

"When did you get back together? When did you have a kid?" Chloe asked them.

"We could ask you the same questions," Jack said.

"You first," Chloe insisted. Jack told Chloe and Morris a brief account of how they had managed to find each other again.

"Your turn," Audrey said.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Well, we were already getting back together on the day-"

"That we came back from China," Jack finished for her when she took a pause.

"Right," Chloe said, noticing Audrey shift uncomfortably in her seat. She saw Jack's immediate reaction of grabbing Audrey's hand and wondered if they even knew they were doing it. "Later that day, I found out I was pregnant."

They talked some more about their lives and how everything had played out since they'd last seen each other. When they left, Audrey couldn't help but think only about the wedding, which was only a week away.


	40. Chapter 40

_A/N: Woah, 40 chapters! I'll be trying to finish this up soon. Maybe just an epilogue. We'll see. But, don't expect it for a while. I'm very busy this season._

Chapter 40

The wedding was small and absolutely perfect. When they got home, they put Kyle in his crib noticing how tired he was. Jack stopped Audrey from moving once outside the door of the nursery. Jack rested his hands on her hips and stared into her eyes.

Audrey waited a second. "What?"

"I can't decide," Jack replied.

"Decide what?" Audrey asked, confused.

"Whether or not to have you keep the dress on forever or if I should take it off," Jack said. Audrey laughed and stepped into Jack's arms letting him hold her for a while.

"Have you decided?" Audrey asked. Jack nodded and felt for the zipper on the back of the dress. He slowly unzipped the dress and then carried Audrey to their room where he slipped the dress completely off.

By morning, Jack and Audrey were too tired to get out of bed. From the monitor they could hear Kyle waking up. Both of their eyes opened.

"I'll get him," Audrey said, but making no move to actually get up.

"We should probably both get up," Jack said realizing how much of their day had been wasted. They got Kyle out of bed and fed him together. Once they finished, the phone rang and Audrey answered it. Jack heard her mumble a few words before hanging up.

"My dad's in the hospital," Audrey said sadly.

Jack went over to her and hugged her.

"The nurse on the phone says he doesn't have much time left. Probably a couple days," Audrey said. Jack held her close for a minute before suggesting that they go visit him. They got in the car and went to the hospital. Jack carried Kyle and waited outside the room so Audrey could talk to him for a while.

"Hi, daddy," Audrey said, sitting down in a chair.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Okay," he replied, trying to sound convincing. They talked for a little while about nothing.

"Do you want to see Kyle? He's outside," Audrey told him.

"Please," Heller said. Audrey opened the door and told Jack to come inside. He handed Kyle to Heller and sat down next to Audrey. "Audrey, let me talk to Jack for a minute."

Audrey stood up and walked outside. Heller turned his attention to Jack.

"Jack," Heller said. "I want to thank you. For taking such good care of Audrey. I know I wasn't the biggest fan of your relationship with her before, but I honestly couldn't be happier that you two are together."

"Thanks sir," Jack said.

"Just please keep taking care of her. And, don't let her be sad about this. She has so much to be happy about," Heller continued.

"I'll try sir," Jack said.

Audrey, Jack, and Kyle went to visit Heller everyday until he died three days later. Audrey couldn't hide how upset she was. Jack tried to cheer her up, which did very little. Audrey focused on putting the finishing touches on his funeral.

The funeral was small and private. To Audrey's surprise, Richard showed up. She felt guilty for not calling him and telling him that he was sick in the first place.

"Richard," Audrey said. "God, I'm so sorry. I never even called to tell you he was sick."

"Dad called. He told me a while ago. We talked over the phone a couple nights ago. For once we didn't argue," Richard said. Audrey hugged him.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" She asked.

"Yes," Richard said. "But, how about we get dinner together tonight? It's been a while."

"Okay," Audrey agreed.

At dinner, Richard immediately asked Audrey what she'd been up to. He hadn't seen her since before she left for China.

"Well, I spent a while going to a psychiatrist and eventually found out that Jack went to the same psychiatrist I did. We got back together and had Kyle. I lost my memory for a while. We got married four days ago."

"Wow," Richard said. "And, when do I get to meet Kyle?"

"If you have lunch with me tomorrow, I can bring him," Audrey said. Richard nodded.

The next day at lunch, Richard got to meet Kyle and, like everyone else, automatically found him to be adorable and interesting.

"When are you leaving?" Audrey asked Richard when they were leaving the restaurant.

"Tonight," Richard said.

"Well, I'm glad you came," Audrey said.

"Me too," Richard said. He hugged his sister and said goodbye to Kyle before leaving.


	41. Chapter 41

_A/N: This is it! Last chapter. Basically it's a few clips of Kyle being different ages and stuff. Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 41

Five years later:

"Come on guys, the bus is going to be here soon!" Teri said.

"We still have a little time," Kim said.

"We just want to get a couple pictures," Audrey said. Jack handed her the camera and the three kids unenthusiastically grouped together for a picture. Once a couple pictures had been taken, Audrey hugged Kyle tightly.

"Stop mom," Kyle said. "I'm going to school, not prison."

"Might as well be," Teri said. Kim gave her a stern look. Teri just shrugged. She picked up her backpack off the ground as she heard the bus coming. Kim and Steven gave their daughters a hug, and Jack and Audrey hugged Kyle. The bus pulled up and the kids walked towards it.

"Be good," Jack and Kim yelled to them simultaneously. The kids just gave an acknowledging wave and got on the bus.

"God, they've grown up so fast," Kim said.

"Too fast," Audrey replied slipping her hand into Jack's.

Eight years later:

"Hey, I need your help on a project," Kyle said as soon as he walked through the door.

"Okay," Jack and Audrey said. "What do you need to do?"

"I have to learn about you guys," Kyle said. "So, where did you guys work?"

"I worked mostly at the Department of Defense," Audrey said.

"I was in the army. I worked at the Counter Terrorist Unit and at the Department of Defense for a little while," Jack said.

"Okay, where did you guys meet?" Kyle asked, reading the next question.

"We worked together at DoD," Jack said.

"What's the biggest challenge you've had to face?" Kyle asked.

Jack and Audrey looked at each other.

"We've had too many," Jack told him.

"Like what?" Kyle asked, this time not reading off the paper.

"Your dad's job was dangerous," Audrey told him.

"You're not old enough to hear about it," Jack said.

"Please," Kyle begged. Jack looked at Audrey, and Audrey nodded reluctantly.

"Just leave out the gore," Audrey said. Jack then told Kyle about the day Audrey got kidnapped.

"Were you scared?" Kyle asked Audrey.

"Yes," Audrey said.

"I was more scared," Jack said.

"Tell me more!" Kyle said intrigued by how dangerous their life was.

Jack then told him how he had to fake his death, but later came back just in time for another terrorist attack. Then he quickly mentioned being in a Chinese prison before Kyle could ask any questions. Then, he told about how he and Audrey got back together and how she had lost her memory in a car accident.

"Wow!" Kyle said. "You guys were so cool. I'm going to have the best project tomorrow."

He ran upstairs to his bedroom, and Jack and Audrey smiled at each other.

"Maybe we shouldn't have told him all that," Audrey said.

"He was going to find out sooner or later," Jack said.

The next day, there were mandatory parent teacher meetings. The parents of all the students had to come in to see the classroom and meet the teacher. Then, there would be private meetings where the teacher would talk specifically about their kid. When Jack, Audrey, and Kyle arrived they took a seat in the classroom. Kyle introduced his teacher to them. When more people showed up, the teacher told the parents all about the different things the class was learning. After five minutes, the kids were already playing with the indoor recess toys. When the group meeting finished, everyone waited outside for the individual meetings. Jack and Audrey walked in when it was their turn.

"Kyle is a great kid," the teacher said. "And, I don't say that about a lot of them. He always participates and helps the other students if they don't understand something. But, I have to ask, did Kyle actually ask you two questions for a project a couple nights ago?"

"Yes," Jack said. "Why?"

"Well, he was telling giving his answers to the class and I just couldn't decide if he was making it up," the teacher said. "I'm sorry I doubted him."

"It's okay. Our life has been anything but ordinary." Audrey said.

"Right," the teacher said. "Oh, I almost forgot. I want to show you his writing folder. He's an excellent writer for his age. Yesterday, the students had to write about what they want to be when they grow up and I'd like you to read Kyle's."

The first paragraph read:

_A couple days ago I didn't know what I want to be when I grow up. The other day I figured it out. I want to be a government agent. My dad was one a while ago and he is my biggest role model. He was very good at his job and saved millions of lives. Someday, I want to be just like him and help save my country._

Audrey's heart sank. She knew they shouldn't have told him about their jobs. Now he wanted to be a part of that world. Jack didn't know what to think. He couldn't have been happier about being Kyle's biggest role model, but there was no way he was going to let his son do the same job that put his life in danger more times than he could count.

When they got home, Jack talked to Kyle while Audrey made dinner. Audrey listened, hoping Jack would talk him out of wanting to work as an agent.

"Your teacher showed us one of your papers today," Jack said. "Do you really want to be a government agent?"

"Would you be mad if I said yes?" Kyle asked.

"No," Jack said. "But, I don't like it. Neither does your mom."

"I'm kidding," Kyle said. "I don't know what I want to be. I'm only in the fourth grade."

"Then why did you write about that?" asked Jack.

"We weren't allowed to say that we didn't know," Kyle said. Jack and Audrey were relieved.

Eighteen Years later:

"I can't believe he's graduating," Audrey said hugging Jack.

"I know," Jack said, stroking her hair. "He's going to be okay though."

"It's just too soon," Audrey said. Kyle walked out of his room wearing his cap and gown.

"You look so handsome," Audrey said, letting go of Jack to hug Kyle instead. Kyle rolled his eyes and Jack gave him a warning look.

"It's okay, mom. You still have all summer with me. And, I'm only going to be an hour away once I go to college. You'll barely notice I'm gone," Kyle said.

Audrey let go of him not entirely convinced. She looked at the time and realized they had to go soon. They met up with Kim, Stephen, Teri, and Haley. Teri came home from college to see Haley and Kyle's graduation. They took some pictures and went to the graduation.

Afterwards, Kyle went to a friend's graduation party. Jack and Audrey went back home.

"You okay?" Jack asked.

"No. It took us forever to be together and to have him, and now he's all grown up," Audrey said.

"I know, sweetheart," Jack said holding her hand. "But, there are still so many good memories for us to have with him."

Audrey knew he was right and kissed him. "I love you, you know."

"I know," Jack said. "I love you, too."


End file.
